PESHAWAR, Aug 4: The provincial government has asked, for the first time, that government school teachers declare their income and assets for the financial year which ended on June 30, it has been learnt.

The establishment division has asked teachers of government schools in BPS-07 and above to fill the declaration forms by August 4. The charges of photocopies of declaration forms distributed among the teachers were also deducted from the low-salaried teachers of government schools.

The government had asked the teachers to provide details of their basic salary, position held and rental, salary and agri-income, sources said.

The teachers have to declare their investments, assets and liabilities, including movable and immovable assets, which were held or even disposed of by them in the previous financial year which ended on June 30, 2006.

Teachers also have to show their expenses, bank accounts and belongings, and give details about their children’s education whether they are studying inland or abroad, names of their children and the institutions they attend.

“Government school teachers are low-paid and they are hired in BPS-7 with a basic pay of Rs2,200 and they retire in the same grade so one can guess what the income of a school teacher is. So as a result what kind of corruption could be expected from a primary school teacher,” said Amjad Khan, a primary school teacher of Peshawar.

The declaration of assets and income is so humiliating for us, he said.

Every government official has to declare his assets and income. Possessing assets which are disproportionate to income is a crime under the National Accountability Bureau Ordinance, 1999, and anti-corruption laws, an official said.

Another primary school teacher, Mushtaq Khan, said that he had been working in BPS-7 for the last 24 years and for the first time he has been asked to declare his assets and income.

“The provincial government is providing free-of-cost education and the schools are without any funds; so what kind of corruption could be possible in a school with an empty treasury,” Mr Khan said.

The school teachers in government schools were of the view that it was embarrassing for them to show their income and assets as they were low-paid government employees.