Takhar teachers say unpaid since 4 months

TALOQAN (Pajhwok): Schoolteachers in northern Takhar province say their salaries have not been paid since four months and they are facing economic problems.

Naqibullah, a teacher in Takhar, says he has not received his salary from the government since last four months.

Talking to Pajhwok Afghan News, he complained about his dire economic situation and asked the government to pay their salaries.

Abdul Wajib, another teacher, said he was also concerned about rising food prices and non-payment of salaries during the month of Ramadan.

He said that UNICEF had promised teachers to pay their two months' salaries, but the promise is yet to be implemented.

A number of other teachers also asked the government to pay its attention to their salaries.

Meanwhile, MulaviHezbullah, Takhar education director, said that all teachers in the province were unpaid since the last four months.

However, he blamed UNICEF of failing to pay teachers’ salaries and said he had shared the issue with the Ministry of Education and was working to resolve the problem.

After the regime change in the country on August 15, UNICEF announced that it was ready to pay teachers' salaries on a monthly basis, but the promise is yet to be fully implemented.

Also on Monday, the Ministry of Education said two months salaries of all school teachers would be paid in the next two weeks based on an agreement between the ministry and the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF).

mds/ma