CHINIOT: Over 600 teachers appointed in March have been working without salaries for the last three months here.

The district administration recruited 609 teachers on contract in March who took charge on April 2.

But they were yet to be paid even after three months.

The teachers demanded the education secretary clear their dues before Eidul Fitr.

The education department hired 178 elementary school educators, 390 senior elementary school and 41 for secondary school in March who started working on April 2. For the last three months, these teachers had been working in schools without salary.

The district coordination officer, education department officers and accounts office had different views when asked for comments on the rea-son behind delay in payments.

District Education Officer (Elementary) Chaudhry Khalid Akhtar told Dawn the process of verification of certificates and degrees of the newly hired educators was really slow and boards and universities concerned were not sending back verified copies of the documents despite their timely submission.

He said the teachers whose academic certificates and degrees had been verified had been cleared and their appointing authorities asked to issue confidential letters to district accounts officer for payment of salaries.

District Coordination Officer Shaukat Ali Khichi told Dawn there was a process of police verification and medical fitness inspection for newly recruited teachers that takes time due to which the salaries were often issued after a few months.

District Accounts Officer Hameed Randhawa told Dawn there were cer-tain discrepancies in the appointments of teachers.

`According to records provided to us, the educators were not posted at positions that were advertised in the media. Instead, they were posted elsewhere,` he claimed.

He also claimed he had asked the district education officers to explain this discrepancy so the teachers could be paid. There were errors in the appointment letters and the education department had not sent them confidential letters that were required to process payment of salaries, he added.

Punjab Teachers Union District Vice President Bilal Anwar blasted education and accounts office authorities over their indifference. He said verification of academic certificates and other formalities should have been completed before or soon after the recruitment so they did not have to suffer due to nonpayment of salaries. He demanded the teachers be paid before Eid.