HYDERBAD: Senior teachers of Public School Hyderabad — an autonomous body — have threatened to go on hunger strike unto death if their salaries are not paid by the school management.

One of the school’s employees attempted self-immolation outside the local press club but his colleagues foiled his attempt.

The senior teachers and school employees gathered outside the press club on Tuesday and staged a protest demonstration before holding a joint news conference.

The teachers, including women, deplored the attitude of the school administration for not paying them salaries on time.

Prof Abdul Rasool Siyal, Prof Ashok Kumar, senior teacher Saima Akhund, Ms Ahmed Shah and others lambasted what they described as ‘indifferent’ attitude of the school administration and said that school academic and non-academic staff were not getting salaries on time and facing serious financial problems.

The teachers said total strength of staff was around 250 and of them 125 were teaching staff.

They said that around Rs8.8 million per month was required for payment of salaries, but the management disbursed only Rs5.5m every month. They said that they were drawing salaries as per increase that became effective in 2013 and not the one allowed this year.

They said the Sindh government gave annual grant of Rs10m although the school needed Rs120m annually or Rs10m per month to meet salary and utility expenditures.

“If new raise allowed by the government is added in their salaries they will be needing another Rs5.5m per month,” they said.

They said that around 1,500 students including those living in hostel were studying in the school.

They added that in the 13-member board of governors (BoG), teachers had no representation although PPP’s Aajiz Dhamrah, Mir Fateh Talpur and Qazi Asad Abid were there. They stated that if teachers were allowed representation in the BoG, then they could discuss management-related problems threadbare.

Saima Akhund, who read a lengthy written text, said that the school was founded in 1961 and it was facing a financial crisis since 2010. She said that since 2010 teachers had been informing school management about their issues.

The payment of medical and conveyance allowances to them had been discontinued and pay raise of 2014 was not part of their salaries, she said.

She claimed that different principals had collected funds, but teaching staff did not know where those funds were spent. She stated that funds were received, but teachers were told that these were not for salaries. She further said that the school building badly needed repairs.

“It is an autonomous body yet teachers are required to perform duties in elections and get show-cause notices if they don’t turn up on duties. They have faced excesses in terms of explanation letters, no entry in school and show-cause notices.” She said that teachers had been told that accounts were empty.

She claimed that the school bursar had all details of funds and he should be handed over to the National Accountability Bureau forthwith. She claimed that funds were used for building a stadium.

She said that they would not quit the school and would stay there as it was their second home. She appealed to the Sindh chief minister, the education minister and the chief justice of Pakistan to nationalise the school.

Published in Dawn, October 3rd, 2018