The government has eventually released Rs290 million to clear the long-pending salaries of the daily-wage staff serving in various educational institutions being overseen by the federal directorate of education (FDE). However, the amount has been released from special grant of Rs400 million allocated for constructing boundary walls and repairing the damaged schools.
A senior official from the ministry of capital administration and development division (CADD) told Pakistan Today that the CADD Minister Dr Tariq Fazal Chaudhry held meeting with Finance Minister Ishaq Dar in March end and requested him to clear the long-delayed salaries of the daily wage employees.
The finance minister approved release of Rs. 290 million to clear the due of the daily wage staff for this financial year, he added.
It is pertinent to mention here that the FDE overseen by the CADD has more than 2,200 daily-wage staff members, both teaching and non-teaching, in its educational institutions in the federal capital, who have been under the employment of the FDE for the past eight years.
The daily-wage employees had not been paid their salaries since November 2016 despite the fact that they were given assurances a number of time because of their repeated protests, demonstrations and boycott of classes.
However, the official said that eventually the said amount had been released from the CADD ministry’s special grant of Rs400 million allocated for construction of boundary walls and repairmen of the damaged schools to clear their dues.
The official said that the ministry could not utilize the fund earmarked for the construction of boundary walls, repairmen and renovation of educational institutions; therefore it was decided to re-appropriate the Rs290 million and adjusted in daily wage employees’ salaries.
“The amount has been adjusted in the salaries of daily-wage staffers, otherwise the amount would most likely be lapsed,” he added.
He said that although the salaries of daily wager staff employees had been cleared for the financial year, the issue will come out again in the beginning of the new financial year, because no allocation has been made in the upcoming budget for daily wage employees.
The official said that the CADD sent a summary to the finance ministry for the regularisation of the daily-wagers, but it had already been rejected because the prime minister directed to follow the due selection process to get them permanent.
He said that the cabinet division approved a formula for their regularisation that they would appear in open test. However, the daily wage staffers would be given five grace marks according to their experience, as for one year experience one mark and for two years experience two marks and for five-year experience five marks would be given to them.
“There is extreme shortage of teaching staff in the federal capital despite the presence of the daily wage teachers,” he added.
The official said that the CADD ministry sent a summary for recruitment of 2,000 teachers, was rejected by finance ministry on the ground that it could not be considered until resolving the issue of daily wage teaching staff.
