Islamabad, March 12 (NationPress) Approximately 20,000 educators employed in 4,300 institutions under the Punjab Education Initiatives Management Authority (PEIMA) in Pakistan have faced a salary freeze for the last three months, creating significant financial hardships, as reported by local media.

The non-payment of salaries has led many teachers to contemplate resigning from their positions, which could result in the closure of schools and adversely affect the education of around 600,000 students. Both teachers and school administrations have expressed concern that the salaries for the months of January, February, and March remain unpaid, complicating their ability to manage operational costs. They indicated that the delay has prompted many educators to seek more stable income opportunities, reported Pakistan's prominent daily Dawn.

Experts in education warned that a potential shortage of teachers could disrupt academic activities across numerous schools and threaten the future of students enrolled in the program if the situation is not resolved by the authorities. Teachers have voiced their frustrations, stating that they receive weekly assurances regarding the release of payments, yet the ongoing delays have worsened their financial situations and affected their household budgets. They threatened to organize protests against the authorities if their salaries for the past three months are not disbursed before Eid.

In an interview with Dawn, PEIMA Chief Executive Officer Imtiaz Shahid Gondal disclosed that salaries up to January had been disbursed and that efforts were being made to release salaries for February, which are anticipated to be processed within the next five to seven days.

Last month, a government report highlighted that 26.2 million children in Pakistan remain out of school.

The Federal Ministry of Education and Professional Training of Pakistan published the 'Girls’ Education Statistics and Trends Report 2023-24', which detailed the staggering number of children, including 3.4 million girls, who are still out of school, as reported by Dawn.

The report also outlined funding challenges, indicating that educational financing in Pakistan has weakened, with the national education budget declining from 13% to 11%, and many provinces, particularly Punjab and Sindh, have cut their funding.

According to the report, only 19% of schools are equipped with digital tools, while 23% of schools have installed ramps for students with disabilities. However, there remains a lack of sufficient specialized assistive learning materials.

During the report's launch, Pakistan's Federal Minister Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui stated that the primary school completion rate for girls has improved from 75% to 89%.