LANDI KOTAL, July 16: The authorities are mulling over taking disciplinary action against the teachers, who remain absent from their duties at the government educational institutions in Khyber Agency, according to sources.

They said that administration received a number of complaints about teachers of government schools.

The teachers had hired the services of non-qualified persons on daily wages to attend classes in their place, they added.

Known as ‘proxy’ teachers among the officials of local education department, they daily wagers are mostly close relatives or friends of the teachers for whom they work as part time teachers in a number of government schools, mostly in Landi Kotal and Jamrud.

“The wages are mutually agreed and the rate fluctuates in accordance with the nature of job and the area where these daily wagers work. The harder the area, the higher are the wages,” sources said.

They said that the matter was also brought into the notice of agency education officer (AEO) but to no avail as a powerful teachers’ lobby, behind the recruitment of proxy teachers, thwarted all such efforts by providing fabricated information to the inquiry officers deputed from time to time.

Sources said that a number of absentee teachers had taken up other lucrative jobs and also drew their monthly salaries regularly from the education department. “These teachers include senior English teachers, science teachers, theology and Arabic teachers and primary teachers, who have acquired the services of non-qualified persons on daily wages to perform duties for them,” official sources said.

They said that notices were issued to all such teachers along with fixing banners at all the educational institutions warning the proxy teachers to immediately vacate their post they were unlawfully occupying and also urging the regular teachers to perform their duties without any excuse.

“Disciplinary action will be taken against the teachers, who are found absent from their duties without a valid reason while all proxy teachers will be arrested and send to lockup after August 1 when educational institutions will reopen after summer holidays in the agency,” officials said.

They said that similar action would also be taken against the employees of other government departments operating in Khyber Agency as the governor had issued clear instructions to all the political administrations not to spare anyone disobeying official orders or violating government service rules.

The officials vowed that ‘proxy’ culture would be eliminated in all the government departments at all costs.