10 March 2005	Thursday	28 Muharram 1426

KARACHI, March 9: The Sindh Professors and Lecturers' Association has demanded of the government to double the salary of teachers and other government employees in view of the hike in prices of commodities and utilities.

Speaking at a press conference on Wednesday, leaders of the Sindh chapter of the SPLA said the unabated increase in petroleum prices, electricity, gas and telephone as well as daily use commodities, eatables and living costs was a mental disturbance for college teachers, and as such, they saw no option but to struggle for increase in their salaries and allowances.

"The teaching community is being paid less as compared to the employees of the banking and financing, and corporate sectors," said the SPLA president, Prof Syed Riaz Ahsan, adding that the situation for teachers was grim, particularly when the government was yet to fulfil its earlier commitments regarding salaries and allowances.

The SPLA president accompanied by other office bearers Prof Manzoor Chisti, Prof Muhram Ali Kulhoro and Prof Shafqat Hussain Jokhio demanded a one hundred per cent increase in salaries.

They also demanded that payment of dues pertaining to house rent be made, in addition to increasing the house rent to 60 per cent of the basic salary. Besides, they asked for medical allowance, increase in conveyance allowance, and exemption in income tax in their case.

The SPLA also deliberated upon other issues including the promotion formula for teachers, performance of educational boards, and interference by outsiders and political elements in affairs of educational institutions, and urged the Sindh government to take remedial measures.

They opposed the establishment of private education boards, and said the government should ensure a uniform educational system and uniforms books for students throughout the country.

In the meantime, an SPLA delegation called on the Sindh chief secretary, Mohammad Aslam Sanjrani, and apprised him of the problems of teachers. The chief secretary assured the delegation that the SNE of new colleges would be included in the new budget.