Public school teachers in Kabul demand pay rise

KABUL (Pajhwok): Several public school teachers in the capital, Kabul, have said their current salaries are insufficient, calling for an increase.

The Ministry of Education (MoE), however, says teachers are being paid on time and that efforts are ongoing to provide necessary facilities.

Teachers report that their monthly salaries range from 7,000 to 13,000 afghanis, depending on years of service and educational qualifications. They argue that these amounts are inadequate to cover basic living expenses, including rent, household needs and rising prices.

Mahboba, a public school teacher in Kabul’s 15th police district, holds a bachelor’s degree and has worked for 34 years. She told Pajhwok Afghan News: “My monthly salary is 9,200 Afghanis. Considering current living costs and high prices, it is very low. A 10-member family cannot live properly on this income until the next month.”

She explained that after paying rent, little remains for other necessities.

Mahboba added that she had raised the issue several times during seminars and surveys, but no action has been taken so far. She also noted that occasional delays in salary payments create further difficulties.

Mahboba emphasised that low pay and financial hardship cause psychological pressure for teachers, affecting their ability to deliver lessons effectively.

She urged the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA) to address teachers’ salaries in line with international standards to strengthen the education sector.

Maryam (not her real name), another teacher with a bachelor’s degree who has been working for five years, explained that her monthly salary was insufficient, particularly as she lives in rented accommodation.

“The whole responsibility of the household rests on me. One member of the family is retired, and the other earns barely enough to get by,” she said.

She stressed that financial support would allow teachers to devote their full energy to educating students. Maryam added that they had also demanded higher salaries during the previous government, but their requests were not addressed and they are now appealing once again to the IEA.

Nafisa Shafiei, a public school teacher with 19 years of experience and a bachelor’s degree in chemistry from Kabul University, said her current salary was inadequate given the cost of essential goods in Kabul.

“The main reason I seek a salary increase is to maintain at least a normal standard of living. Prices are high, living costs are rising, but salaries remain low and insufficient,” she said.

She warned that without salary increases, teachers would enter classrooms under mental strain, negatively impacting the teaching process.

Rihana, another teacher in Kabul with 17 years of service and a bachelor’s degree, described her salary of around 9,000 Afghanis as “not enough at all.”

She added that addressing teachers’ salaries would give them peace of mind and enable them to teach students more effectively.

Meanwhile, education activist Suraya Yousufi said teachers are a fundamental segment of society but among the lowest-paid employees in Afghanistan.

She noted that low salaries create anxiety among teachers and could harm the quality of education. Yousufi expressed hope that the IEA would increase teachers’ pay.

Qari Mansoor Ahmad Hamza, MoE spokesman, told Pajhwok that the IEA was striving to provide necessary facilities to teachers.

Earlier, Deputy Prime Minister for Administrative Affairs Mawlawi Abdul Salam Hanafi had pledged that the IEA would gradually address teachers’ salaries in line with available resources.

Speaking on World Teachers’ Day, 5 October 2023, Hanafi said that no effort would be spared to strengthen the education sector, and teachers would be the first group to receive salary increases once resources permit.

“We have adjusted salaries according to existing resources, and whenever resources increase, teachers will be the first to benefit,” he stated.

Hamza added that the MoE and IEA would provide whatever support is within their capacity and confirmed that teachers’ salaries are currently being paid on time across Afghanistan.

kk/sa