TIMERGARA: The Union Council Polio Eradication Committee (UPEC), Lower Dir on Thursday warned vaccinators would boycott the upcoming anti-polio campaign in the district if they’re not paid dues without delay.

UPEC members, including Mohammad Aman, Sanaullah, Badshah Hussain, Jehanzeb, Rafiullah and Hamid Gul, told a news conference here that hundreds of vaccinators participated in the May anti-measles campaign and paid for vehicles and meals out of their own pockets.

They said unfortunately, the relevant authorities hadn’t reimbursed the money despite the passage of three months.

The UPEC members said donors had allocated Rs110 million for the anti-polio campaign but neither the chairmen of 37 union councils nor anti-polio workers had got back the money so far.

They also complained even the health department had yet to return money spent by vaccinators on anti-polio campaign carried out in January, February and March. The UPEC members said they had contacted the Lower Dir deputy commissioner time and again for payment of dues to health workers, but to no avail.

WORKSHOP FOR POLICE: The UNHCR with the help of Sharp, a nongovernmental organisation, on Thursday arranged a workshop for the police at the Timergara Police Lines on the problems facing Afghan refugees in the country.

Speaking on the occasion, UNHCR field officer Memona Batool, Sharp’s representative Sheraz Khan and other speakers, including Sattar Khan and Fawad Ali, informed participants about basic human rights of Afghan refugees and issues facing them.

They urged the police to cooperate with refugees and provide them with legal assistance in case of problems. The organisers later distributed certificates among participants.

TEACHERS UNITE: Different teacher organisations in Lower Dir on Thursday joined hands against the provincial government’s rationalisation policy for teachers.

A joint meeting in this regard was held at the Education Complex in Balambat.

Provincial president of All Teachers Coordination Council Syed Mohammad Shah chaired the meeting, where certified teachers and office-bearers of Tanzeem-i-Asatiza, Ittehad-i-Asatiza, Wahdat-i-Asatiza, Malgari Ustazan, Insaf Teachers Association and Muslim Teachers Association were in attendance.

Teacher leaders said teachers rejected the rationalisation policy of the government under which a CT teacher would have to teach 60-80 students. The speakers said the government wanted to run its schools with the present staff to ease burden on its treasury. They demanded that the government provide each middle school with three CT teachers.

Published in Dawn, September 19th, 2014