KHAR: The teachers of Basic Education Community Schools Programme in Bajaur Agency on Tuesday complained about non-payment of their salaries.

All Bajaur Basic Community Schools Teachers Association president Mian Ikramullah Khan told journalists that they were not paid their salaries for the last four months.

Flanked by other ofhce-bearers of the association, he said that BECSP, a non-formal basic education scheme of the federal ministry of education and professional training, which ran more than 200 single-room schools in the region, was imparting free education from Montessori to 5th grade.

He said that over 200 teachers, including women, had been serving in those schools in the agency since 2004. He criticised the authorities concerned for delaying payment of their salaries, saying they were facing financial problems.

Mr Khan said that teachers of community schools are committed to performing their duty despite the fact that they were getting nominal salaries. Delay in payment of salaries disappointed the teachers, he added.

The office-bearers of the association said that nonpayment of their salaries for the last four months was a matter of serious concern for them as they had no other resources to manage their expenses.

The president of the association criticised the officials concerned for not taking steps to pay them salaries.

He said that they contacted the officials concerned several times for releasing their salaries but they had yet to respond.

`We have brought the issue into the notice of senior officials several times, but they remain silent over the issue,` he added.

Mr Khan said that a number of teachers of community schools in the agency had quit their jobs owing to delay in their salaries while several others would likely to leave their service soon salaries were not paid to them.

He said that teachers of community schools were getting Rs 6,000 as monthly salary, which according to him, was not enough to for their expenditures as price hike was on the rise in the country.

The teachers appealed to Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, Federal Finance Minster Ishaq Dar and officials of the directorate general of Basic Education Community Schools Programme to take notice of the issue and ensure tangible steps in that regard.

They also asked the prime minister, federal minister for finance and other relevant officials to increase their salaries so they could continue their jobs with commitment and sincerity.