Daily Times

The corona crisis is affecting common people at multiple levels. Education system, which was already not strong enough, is currently facing a number of challenges, due to which school teachers are particularly suffering.

From being forced to digitalize classrooms without any technical training to not releasing their salaries in time, teachers working at schools are going through a whole new kind of hardship.

Laurelbank Public School, a well known private school in Shalimar Town with its campuses in Johar Town and Daroghawala, announced that teachers will receive half of their regular salaries until the lockdown is over.
The staff were reportedly informed of being paid half salaries with the school holding that its finances are no longer able to support the levels of teachers’ emoluments and there is no channel to keep a record of their attendance.

The decision, though, has not down gone well with the teachers, some of whom believe to be betrayed by the school.
A teacher spoke on condition of anonymity is quoted as saying: “As a school that has a mission of educating young people, their actions have defeated the mission of the school by traumatizing these hardworking people in these critical times of the Covid-19 pandemic.”

Notably, the provincial government affirmed that teachers in all private and public schools will continue to be paid during the months in which classes are suspended in an effort to prevent the spread of coronavirus.
Laurelbank Public Schools, with its main campus situated on GT road near UET, is one of the famous schools in the area and has more than 10,000 students and over 1000 employees in multiple branches.

In many areas, schools are the largest employer and teaching staff, a majority of which is comprised of females, not being paid fully means a blow on local community’s economic stability. It is also important to note that teaching staff in middle class schools are already at the lower end of pay scale, where they are made to bear more burden than any other professionals working on similar salary.

Most of the employees are on job to earn a livelihood and support their families. This particularly includes female teachers who are either single parent or have to contribute to the household to keep their family’s life going. Some of them are not earning a living wage, and to reduce that even further would create a severe financial crisis, especially when the month of Ramzan is approaching and people have to buy essentials.

The provincial ministry of education and Private Schools Association must look into this matter on priority basis and keep a check and balance on private schools to avoid blatant violation of the government’s decision to pay regular salaries to teachers.