Punjab Teachers Protest Recovery of COVID Allowance
Thousands of teachers across Punjab have expressed frustration over the government’s decision to recover conveyance allowances paid during COVID-19 school closures.
The Education Authority Lahore has issued a circular instructing all school heads to collect and deposit the recovered amount without any delay.
The notification further warned that disciplinary action would be initiated against school heads failing to ensure full compliance with the recovery orders.
Officials stated that teachers received their conveyance allowance during the pandemic because the finance department had not stopped the payments at that time.
The authority has now directed that the entire allowance amount must be reimbursed in full, with no exemptions or delays permitted.
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Teachers have strongly criticized the decision, calling it unfair, unnecessary, and financially stressful amid the ongoing economic crisis and rising inflation.
They argued that demanding repayment of allowances issued four years ago is unjustified and places an unreasonable burden on struggling public-sector educators.
“It’s unfair to recover payments after such a long time — the department issued them, not the teachers,” said one educator.
Education representatives have urged the Punjab government to review the decision and explore alternative solutions that protect teachers from additional financial hardship.
