If not allotted land plots, Logar teachers to quit

PUL-I-ALAM (Pajhwok): A number of schoolteachers in central Logar province on Thursday accused the govement of failing to keep its promise of giving them land plots, but the authorities said they were ready to build four townships for education officials.

Shah Mahmood, a teacher at the Jamhooriat School in Pul-i-Alam, the capital of the province, told Pajhwok Afghan News the govement had been promising them land plots from the past 13 years. However, nothing has been done so far.

While giving teachers few privileges, the govement had ignored them, he complained.“Senior officials continually promise us housing facility, but they have taken no practical steps. It is regrettable that teachers in the province continue to be ignored,” he added.

Sabir Stanikzai, a teacher at the Katab Khel High School in Mohammad Agha district, also blasted the govement for breaking the promises it had held out to them.In addition to the housing problem, teachers also faced serious economic problems, he said.

“We request education officials to build townships for teachers in all districts of the province to enable us to dischargeour duty with undivided concentration,” he said.

Syed Majeed, a teacher at Kolangar High School in Pul-I-Alam, waed: “We have talked to other teachers. If the govement doesn’t allot us land plots, all of us will quit our jobs.”

Education department spokesmanMohammad Shapoor Arabconfirmed the teachers’ problems.“They have been assured umpteen times of land plots over 13 years, but the commitment hasn’t been honoured yet.”

“Whenever our department plaed to take practical measures to provide the housing facility for teachers, goveors and district chiefs of the time interfered and created problems,” the spokesman alleged.

But the department plans to build townships for educators in Khoshi, Mohammad Agha, Charkh and Kharwar districts during the current year.

Salim Saleh, the goveor’s spokesman, promised concrete steps to provide the required facilities.He also confirmed the townships would be built in four districts this year.

According to the education department, 3,300 teachers are currently serving across the province. A total of 305 educationalinstitutes are currently operational in Logar but half of them are still without buildings.

mds/mud