LARKANA, Nov 11: Over 1,300 teachers working under the Middle School Project (MSP) have not received their salaries since July as the Sindh finance department is yet to clear a summary for the purpose.

They are working as high schoolteachers, junior schoolteachers, oriental teachers, drawing teachers and physical training instructors in 179 middle schools, established with financial assistance of the Asian Development Bank.

Sources told this correspondent here on Thursday that 22 such schools, 18 for boys and four for girls, were working in the Larkana district alone.

They said after establishment of the schools, managers of the MSP prepared a summery, technically called PC-IV, to convert development funds into non-development funds so that the staff working under the project could be paid regular salaries.

They said the summary was submitted to the finance department after being cleared from planning and other departments. But, they added, even after the lapse of one month the summary had not been approved.

The MSP was wounded up and a new ADB-assisted programme - Decentralized Elementary Education Project (DEEP) - was launched on Jan 15, 2004, following approval by ECNEC on April 23, 2003.

Majority of the officers working under the MSP have been absorbed in the DEEP but the fate of the teaching staff is hanged in balance.

The sources said another ADP-funded two-phase project, Girls' Primary Education Development Project, was also running in snags. Under the project, community model schools were established in the province.

Teachers recruited under the phase- II of the project are waiting for their salaries since July 2004 while those employed under the phase-I have received salaries.

HOLIDAY: District Nazim Khurshid Ahmad Junejo on Thursday declared Nov 13 as holiday in the district.

However, the district accounts office Larkana and banks will remain open.