ISLAMABAD, Oct 14: Teachers of model schools and colleges in the capital city have decided to start a protest movement against non-payment of ceiling/hiring allowance for the last over two years, it has been learnt.

In the first stage of the protest starting from Monday, the teachers will be wearing black armbands during duty hours and in case there is no response from the authorities concerned, they will stage a sit-in outside the local press club on Friday. And from October 22, they will boycott classes till their demand is met.

Riaz Anjum, the president of Central Academic Staff Association, told Dawn that teachers were perturbed over the failure of the Federal Directorate of Education (FDE) and the Ministry of Capital Administration and Department (CAD) in resolving their issue despite making repeated promises.

The teachers say due to non-payment of the hiring allowance, it has become impossible for them to pay rents of their houses.

At a meeting on October 12, the representatives of the Academic Staff Association and all model colleges decided that delegations would meet the high-ups of CAD and the FDE to apprise them of their problems. “If the demands are not fulfilled by Monday, the teachers will boycott classes,” he said.

Besides Mr Anjum, teachers’ representatives, including Altaf Hussain, Mehboob Ahmed, Hafeezur Rehman, Murad Ali Khan, Naveed Anjum and Amanullah attended the meeting.

Mr Anjum added: “Delay in payment started in 2009 when the teachers were told by the authorities concerned that the funds reserved for the ceiling allowance would be utilised to help the flood-affected people. After that, however, the management did not allocate funds for the ceiling allowance.”

He said the meeting demanded that 100 per cent hiring should be paid to all those who have been waiting for it for the last two years. Hiring should also be granted to all those who have applied and are on the waiting list, he added.

Amanullah Bhutto, a teacher at the Islamabad College for Boys, G-6/3, said he had been living in a rented portion of a house at Rawal Town for the last two years. “My ceiling allowance is Rs14,105 and I have to pay Rs17,000 rent to the house owner. I pay Rs2,895 from my pocket but the FDE has not released the ceiling allowance for the last two years,” he complained.

He said the owner can issue him notice to vacate the house ant time.

On the other hand, he added, his marriage ceremony was scheduled to be held in January but he was not sure whether by that time he would have a house to live in with his wife.

Most of the teachers have similar stories but the education department is doing nothing for them, he added.

When contacted, FDE spokesman Waqar Ashraf said the federal government had been facing financial crunch due to which the problems were increasing. In the current fiscal year, the FDE got some funds which were not sufficient to pay the ceiling allowance to all the teachers.

“We are trying to get more fund and resolve the issue and after that house rents will be paid after every six months,” he said.