LANDI KOTAL: The Khyber Agency education office has deposited millions of rupees into the public exchequer by withholding salaries of the sacked government and community school teachers during the last one year.

Agency education officer, Ateeq ur Rehman, told Dawn on Monday that his department had served legal notices on a total of 77 absentee teachers serving in both formal and informal schools in different parts of Khyber Agency.

He said that after completion of all the legal formalities and with no satisfactory response from the teachers on whom notices were served, the education department removed 73 teachers. “Only one teacher, who replied to the show cause notice in time, was demoted to the lower grade,” he added.

Mr Rehman said that it was for the first time in last three decades that a sum of Rs5.82 million to be paid to teachers had been deposited back into the national exchequer. He vowed to continue purging his department of black sheep and corrupt elements.

AEO Rehman said his department was now keeping a strict vigil on the performance of all communal and formal schools.

Meanwhile, officials said the education department closed down 88 community schools out of the total 163 in Khyber Agency after complaints about their continued closure due to law and order and absence of teachers.

They said now there were only 75 community schools operating in Khyber Agency with a total of 148 teaching staff. They said that most teachers had been drawing their salaries for the last six years with either their schools closed by militants or they had taken up alternative jobs. — Correspondent

Published in Dawn, July 15th, 2014