KABUL (Pajhwok): The Ministry of Education has fired 290 contractual employees, saying they would be hired in other areas while the fired workers called the move as unfair.
One of the fired workers, who did not want to be named, said he had a bachelor's degree and had been working as a contractual employee in the ministry for two years, but now he was sacked for no apparent reasons.
"It's a clear injustice. We made a living on that little salary and spent a huge period of my time in the hope to become a formal employee and gain progress, but they fired us, the little salary was helpful to meet our basic needs, but I do not know where to complain and where to go?,” he said.
He said that government officials should not deprive people of their jobs and should not lose its professionals.
Mohammad Rafiq, a former security guard at the ministry, said, "I'm ill, I can't do anything else and I have family responsibilities, but they fired me, I was expecting a salary in the month of Ramadan, I wanted to buy something for my children, but they fired me and should go home empty-handed."
Ghulam Mohammad is another worker of the ministry who worked as contract-based employee but he is now fired.
He said that the Ministry of Education had fired these people on the excuse that the ministry had no financial resources.
"These workers were not paid more than 10,000 to 12,000 afghanis each. All the people hired were from poor families… I live in a rented house and buy medicine of 5,000 afghanis a month. I do not know what I should do now,” he said.
He referred to the ministry several times since he was fired so he can be reemployed because his economic situation was dire and had no other opportunities for work.
Yahya, another sacked worker of the ministry, says he worked in the ministry's security department for 14 years, but was fired a week ago.
"I feel stressed due to the loss of job since the last few days. I've been in the service for 14 years. But they fired me at a time when people need help and are faced with bad situation,” he said.
He says he was fired without being told the reason for his dismissal and was only told that he had been fired. "This kind of expulsion and treatment is very unfair," he said.
These people asked the government to reemploy them.
Aziz Ahmad Rayan, a spokesman for the Ministry of Education, told Pajhwok Afghan News that the ministry had 700 contractual staff members during the previous government.
He said that there were currently 410 contractual employees in the ministry and 290 of them were shrunk from the staff.
Some of these workers were not needed, but some others had higher education and the ministry wanted to appoint them to official posts, he said.
Rayan said that the Ministry of Education still wanted to employ those who were fired in vacant posts where they are needed.
In response to a question about the firing of these workers in current situation when people are struggling with economic issues, he said, “These people would be reemployed based on needs, the Ministry of Education thinks that all of them should be reemployed, we decide based on our capacity, I cannot tell about the time of employment.”
This comes as many people in the country are facing severe economic hardships, high unemployment rates, and Afghans are being migrated to other countries, especially Iran and Pakistan where they face serious problems.
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