Punjab teachers ordered to return COVID Conveyance Allowance

LAHORE: Thousands of teachers across Punjab have expressed concern after being ordered to return the conveyance allowance received during the school closure due to COVID-19.

According to official instructions issued by the Education Authority Lahore, all school heads have been directed to immediately collect and deposit the allowance from teachers. The notification warned that disciplinary action will be taken against school heads who fail to comply.

The authority said that teachers continued to receive their conveyance allowance during the coronavirus vacations because the finance department had not deducted it from their salaries at that time. Officials have now announced that the allowance will have to be paid without any exceptions.

However, teachers have called the decision unfair and financially burdensome and have demanded a review of the order from the government. They said that the recovery of payments made four years ago adds unnecessary economic pressure, especially amid high inflation.

“It is unfair to withdraw the allowance after so many years, it was not our fault, the department itself paid this amount,” said a teacher.

Educational circles have urged the provincial government to reconsider its directive to protect teachers from financial hardship.