LAHORE, May 30: Any raise in salaries in the forthcoming budget will have a zero impact on the well-being of a public-sector teacher as meagre incomes fail to meet the soaring prices of daily-use items.

This is what the public-sector teachers believe, saying the government may not give them any raise but it must control the prices of essentials like petrol, utility bills, etc., so that these are made affordable within the existing salaries.

In a survey conducted by Dawn, the teachers said: “We will be happy if the government brings the prices of essentials within the range of our salaries.”

Shahid Sadiq, a lecturer, said the soaring prices of daily-use items had greatly clipped the purchasing power of teachers. He said the proposed 10 to 15 per cent raise in the salaries would not help teachers meet their day-to-day expenses.

“The government may heavily tax luxuries, but grossly reduce the utility bills, prices of petrol and other essentials to help the teaching community lead a respectable life,” he suggested.

Mr Sadiq said the higher cost of living and poor salary structure had forced most of the teachers to seek part-time jobs for running their homes. In this situation, he said, the teachers were taking their government jobs for granted and canalising their energies towards part-time employment to make both ends meet.

Punjab Professors and Lecturers Association (Lahore division) President Majid Wazir said any increase in salaries was nullified when the government increased the prices of essentials. “The unbridled increase in the prices of commodities actually affects the purchasing power of teachers,” he added.

The government, he said, had privatised most of its organisations and created monopolies for the private sector. Resultantly, he said, the private entrepreneurs were continuously increasing prices of products and pushing the salaried class to the wall.

“The private sector increases prices of essentials by simply creating their artificial shortage and, thus, causing innumerable problems for the salaried people,” he cried out.

Muhammad Mubashir, a lecturer employed on a contract, said the government must regularise the services of teachers appointed on a five-year contract. “The lump sum salary (Rs12,000 a month) is hardly sufficient to lead a bachelor’s life, not to speak of running a family,” he bemoaned.

He said he, along with hundreds of other young people, had earned their master’s degrees from recognised institutions and then qualified the competitive examinations conducted by the Punjab Public Service Commission but they were still offered contract-based jobs.

Demanding regularisation of their jobs along with the fringe benefits, he said their salaries should be increased in proportion to the rate of inflation and price-hike.

According to Punjab University Academic Staff Association secretary Dr Asmatullah, the white-collar class is going from bad to worse day by day owing to uncontrolled price-hike. He stressed that there should be a balance between the salaries and prices and “the government must show a positive concern in this regard.”

He said President Musharraf had recently announced 25 per cent raise for the teachers, but later it was decided that the government servants’ salaries would be increased by 15 per cent and now there were rumours about increase of only 10 per cent.

“Frustration among the government employees, especially the teaching community, is affecting their performance,” he said.

Former PUASA president Dr Iftikhar Husain Baloch stressed that the government should substantially increase teachers’ salaries and then go for accountability to ensure that the country was put on path to progress.

Schooteacher Chaudhry Muhammad Nazir said the existing salary structure as well as the proposed pay raise were incompatible with the modest requirements of his family. He said he was always on the run to get tuitions or other assignments to earn a sufficient amount to meet expenses.

Mr Nazir said he and many other teachers always struggled to get examination duties, either as invigilators in examination centres or for marking papers to earn some extra bucks.

“Though I am supposed to be a model for my students, I am compelled to wear worn-out clothes. I am able to get a new Shalwar Qameez only on Eids,” he regretted.