In March 2021, the Project Management Unit (PMU) of the Higher Education Department of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) had appointed more than 250 lecturers for various colleges of the newly-merged districts on a contract basis initially for six months.
However, owing to the lack of lecturers in these colleges, the hired staff of PMU got two consecutive extensions in their service and the second extension expired in October 2022.
All such lecturers are now performing their duties without any extension. Almost all the said colleges have sent their extension summaries to the PMU and it is expected that a third extension will soon be granted.
A bigger problem is that the salaries are never paid when due. The last salary disbursement took place in June 2022. It has been more than six months that we, the lecturers, have not received our salaries. How can people focus on the standard of education when they are being made to perform their duties without the promised compensation?
Like any other citizen, teachers, too, have families to feed and look after. Under the prevailing circumstances, one is not able to afford even the hostel expenditure in the respective colleges. It is only natural that employees deliver better when they get their wages on time.
The reason behind the issue is probably that the funds are controlled by the federal government. When we approached the KP’s Higher Education Department, we were told by the authorities that the previous federal government had stopped the funds for the project. One wonders why the federal government did that when the provincial government also belonged to the same political party. Our survival is at stake, and all concerned should resolve the issue at the earliest.
RAFIUDDIN MEHSUD
WANA
