COVID-19 lockdown: unpaid teachers look for alternative sources of income

Author: Muzammil Ferozi

The coronavirus has affected everyone’s life, since outbreak of COVID-19, schools and educational institutions have been closed across the country as a precautionary measure against the novel coronavirus. It is not just students who have been affected by the closure of schools, but teaching and non-teaching staff, too, because they have been deprived of their incomes, Daily Times learnt

According to survey teachers in private schools are not being paid due to closure of educational institutes so teachers have started some other work to live on. Many of female teachers have started beauty parlour work from their home as beauty parlours are also closed so they are having number of customers, talking to Daily Times many teachers shared that despite having good degrees due to lockdown we cannot find a good job so we started work from home.

A teacher Shiza Noori who used to teach in a private school as his school owner was not able to pay teachers so she started making pickles at her home and her brother is doing home delivery. Shiza shared her experience that I have posted on OLX and other WhatsApp groups we are having enough orders to live on.

Noori suggested other teachers as well not to sit at home idle just start doing something Allah will help you.

One of female teacher has started selling frozen foods online; she said that social media and whatsapp made our work easier to reach customers by thanking God she said that on call we deliver the orders. Another Teacher Tabbasum is also doing on line business to prevail her family.

Ayisha Yehya told that before lockdown I used to give home tuition due to lockdown I have stopped teaching and started doing beautician work from my home.

Another female teacher said that I have joint sales in a shopping mall even though I am earning more than teaching but I was satisfied in teaching as it was reputable job adding that I got this job because of my English proficiency. “No job is good or bad, just we need to adjust ourselves for the sake of our loved ones”, she laminated

Many of male teachers have commenced selling things on line as one of teacher is selling cell phone accessories on line but many of them are still thinking to do some kind of business. A male teacher Farhan Abid who used to teach in a private college besides providing coaching in evening, he was spending good life as Farhan is also doing B. Sc Physics from Karachi University. But the three-month closure of institute brought him to the point where he had nothing to live on so recently started selling French fries in the area of Baldia Town.

Farhan’s friend shared that he is one of the diligent and talented teacher of our area adding that even I am not able to imagine how the educated youth are trampled on due to improper dealing of the situation.

An educationist Saleem Farooqui endorsed that the majority of teachers have started other jobs adding that especially lower and middle class schoolteachers have been compelled to do so.

“Countless schools will be closed and those who survive will not find teachers”, he professed

Private school teachers believe that government did not consider the dilemma of those who educate the children and depend only on school salaries and government did everything without plan due to this private school’s owner suffering a lot. “If we can see that no amount is being generated in school’s account so how can we insist to pay”, they said

With each passing day the numbers of Coronavirus cases in Pakistan, particularly Karachi, are increasing. The death toll is also creating panic, but for those whose livelihoods have been disrupted due to this pandemic, toning the coronavirus is the least of their problems.

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