SWABI, May 6: The authorities have ordered recovery of stipend from more than 100 trainees, who have worked as teachers in different educational institutions under the National Internship Programme (NIP), according to sources.  

They said that letters were issued from the office of district coordination officer to more than 100 former trainees, asking them to deposit the stipend otherwise the amount would be recovered from them with the help of local police.

They said that the trainees worked till September 2011 but the termination letters issued to them stated that NIP ended on June 30, 2011. They said that some of them got stipend for July and August while some only for the month of July 2011.

“The people, who worked as trainees under NIP across Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, are being pressed for the recovery,” said an official.

However, the trainees demanded of the provincial government to pay their outstanding stipend for one and two months instead of making recovery from them and using police against them.

“The National Internship Programme ended on June 30, 2011, payment of the stipend has been made to you for the period of two months i-e July and August 2011 in violation of the government policy. Therefore, once again you are directed to deposit the same amount as ordered by the provincial government positively, failing which the recovery of the same amount will be made through the local police,” said a letter issued to a former teacher.

An officer of the district administration, when contacted, said that the programme ended on June 30, 2011 but they received a letter about its closure from the government in September.

He said that they had already paid stipends to the teachers but after receiving the order they realised that outstanding amount should be recovered from them. “Now the provincial government has ordered recovery of the amount immediately,” he said.

However, the former trainees said that there was no justification for recovery of the stipend of July and August from them. “We have worked till September. We have one/two-month outstanding stipend against the government,” said a teacher.