HYDERABAD, June 27: The district accounts office has withheld around 1,300 to 1,500 difference bills of school teachers following directives by the Sindh finance department.

A source told this correspondent that the directive was issued to all DAOs of Sindh in the wake of reports that massive irregularities had been committed in awarding selection grade to teachers.

DAO Zulfikar Ali said that the bills would be settled only after the verification by the Sindh chief minister's inspection team.

Inquiries with the education department revealed that more than 80 per cent teachers had been awarded selection grade although only 33 per cent of teachers could be given selection grade as per directives before Dec 1, 2001.

Teachers and education officials are required by the DAO to produce permission of the EDO finance and planning, sanction orders, original/attested copies, service books duly pay verified by the DAO.

A source in the education department said that the root cause of all anomalies regarding the selection grade was non- availability of the seniority list in the education department.

It was also learnt that the lower staff in education department was handing over documents regarding selection grade to teachers for monetary considerations.

He said that a teacher alone could claim a difference of Rs10,000 to Rs15,000.

The difference bills are to be paid from the budget of education department after paying an amount of Rs6.3 under the head of difference bills.

The source pointed out that if 200 teachers were entitled to selection grade there were 400 such cases. Any junior school teacher and primary school teacher can claim to difference bills after obtaining degree of bachelor of education.

Such teachers are also required by the DAO to produce permission for completing different courses of teaching.

It was learnt that office-bearers of teachers associations had held a meeting with the district accounts officer in this regard but failed to convince him.