PESHAWAR: The employees of Peshawar Public School and College, Warsak Road, have expressed serious concern over the financial crisis the institution is facing, and demanded of the provincial government to approve a permanent grant on an emergency basis to bring it out of the economic distress.

Speaking at a news conference at the Peshawar Press Club on Tuesday, Rahimullah, vice-principal of the college’s boys branch, and Farzana Shaheen, vice-principal of the girls branch, and members of a joint action committee of the employees said currently the institution had 239 employees, who were facing financial issues due to delay in payment of salary.

They said the school had been established in 1979 under the Educational Institution Ordinance, and a regular grant was also approved for it, which was received till 1991. In 1986, they said the employment of the institution was declared pensionable, for which the rules were framed by the government.

The employees said that a separate school for girls had been established, which remained financially stable till 2017, but later due to financial instability, the girls section was again merged with the boys’ branch without any recommendations by the relevant supervisory committee.

They said that the provincial government had not released the pledged grant of Rs100 million to the college.

They said about 90 employees, who got retired in 2017, continued to receive pension regularly, but later the pension was stopped.

They said their salaries were slashed by 10 per cent in 2023 due to lack of funds. They complained that the finical crisis had also led to delay in payment of their salary every month.

Published in Dawn, September 25th, 2024