June 02, 2007	Saturday	Jamadi-ul-Awwal 16, 1428

LAHORE, June 1: Punjab Education Secretary (Schools) Zahid Saeed has said the federal government had refused to provide around Rs3 billion funds for the payment of teaching allowance to teachers in the province.

Talking to this reporter on Friday, he said the federal government had announced allowance for the teachers working under it and was paying it accordingly. It was also paying teaching allowance to the teachers serving in Balochistan, AJK and tribal areas as they were drawing funds from the federal government.

As the federal government had asked Punjab to bear these annual expenses for the payment of teaching allowance from its own kitty, he said, the provincial government was now working out a plan to offer incentives to the teachers instead of paying them teaching allowance which would not have any impact in improving teachers’ performance at schools.

Answering a question, he said, the government was not denationalising any institution in Punjab. As for the denationalisation of the Himayat-i-Islam schools, he said, it was not currently fulfilling terms and conditions.

He said the committee, headed by finance secretary Sohail Ahmad, had told the teachers’ delegation that the system of contract appointments could not be abolished or changed. He, however, said the government might consider changes to different clauses, including maternity leave with pay, which could be restricted up to two leaves with a break of three or five years.

He said the government could also change contract teachers’ salary packages into scales being offered to regular teachers. He said the teachers could also be paid conveyance allowance in rural areas and discussed other such issues.

With regard to the primary and middle standard examinations, Mr Saeed said the government might consider promoting students on the basis of their house examinations, already held in each school, after getting inquiry reports on the leakage of question-papers. “No such decision has, however, been finalised,” he said.

It is learnt that the Muttahida Mahaz-i-Asatza, Punjab, leaders had boycotted the meeting with the Punjab government committee as it refused to pay teaching allowance in Punjab.