TIMERGARA, May 1: Female teachers of non-formal basic schools in Lower and Upper Dir districts have regretted that a very nominal salary is being paid to them and called upon the government to grant a raise.

In a joint statement, dozens of teachers said they got Rs1,000 under the project of the Pakistan Literacy Commission.

They said that they were not paid every month, but a cumulative salary of three months was paid after every three month. The nominal salary and the payment schedule has created a sense of deprivation among teachers.

The teachers pointed out that they got their salaries through cross cheques and the bank deducted Rs125 from each salary.

There are 123 non-formal basic schools operating in the two districts under the supervision of local NGOs. A supervisor said that nearly 4,920 girls were acquiring education in these schools.

The teachers said they had been appointed during the second term of Nawaz Sharif government and had been getting the same salary since 1998.

The teachers called upon the government and high-ups of the project to increase their salaries as was promised to them time and again.