Centralised exams of primary & middle standards: Female teachers express annoyance over unpaid remuneration

Islamabad: As the Federal Directorate of Education (FDE) gears up for the centralised exams of primary and middle standard scheduled to begin today (Monday), female teachers assigned to conduct exams have raised concerns over unpaid remuneration for the past three consecutive years and the absence of essential facilities.

Despite repeated attempts to address these concerns with FDE authorities, the teachers claim that their issues have not been resolved yet. Teachers complained that they haven’t been paid for their exam work for the last three years in spite of assurances by the concerned officials. Expressing their grievances under the condition of anonymity, several teachers disclosed a history of unfulfilled promises and neglect by FDE authorities.

Despite assurances of payment for exam duties, teachers lamented that they have not received remuneration for the last three years. A teacher highlighted the financial strain incurred while performing exam-related tasks, including the collection of exam materials. Having personally hired taxis to transport materials to exam centres, she emphasized that neither taxi fares nor transport facilities have been provided by the FDE.

Moreover, I am expected to conduct exam duties daily starting Monday, with no transport facilities provided. The daily taxi fare to and from the school where I am deputed amounts to Rs2000, a cost I am compelled to bear personally for the entire 15-day examination period which is hard to manage during the prevailing price hike situation , the teacher said.

“It is disheartening that the authorities not only fail to pay our pending remuneration but also neglect to provide essential transport facilities,” the teacher said. Talking to this agency, many teachers emphasized the lack of financial support for purchasing essential materials such as clothes, sealing wax, thread, and packing material required for packaging answer scripts. They criticized the absence of paper collection facilities provided by the authority, exacerbating logistical challenges.

Highlighting additional challenges, another teacher shared, “I have to purchase essential materials such as clothes, sealing wax, thread, and packing materials to pack the answer scripts daily, but no funds have been provided for these expenses. Moreover, there is no paper collection facility provided by the FDE. I cannot afford cab fare for transportation of answer scripts to FDE daily.”

A headmistress of a school stated, “Teachers have recently undertaken exhausting election duties, sacrificing sleep for two nights. In addition to their teaching responsibilities, teachers perform additional duties like census duties, election duties, invigilation, and deworming duties.