ZUBAIR QURESHI Reduction in the house rental ceiling that is also called occupancy costs, in the 2019-2020 fiscal budget is forcing teachers of the federal government (FG) colleges to cut their expenses and limit their groceries and other necessities. Federal Government’s umbrella includes FG colleges and model schools & colleges both under the administrative control of the Federal Directorate of Education (FDE) and reduction in rental ceiling is made only in the salaries of the FG schools and colleges while model college teachers have not seen a cut in their rental ceilings. Thought the reduction in rental ceiling is not much yet the FG teachers are facing increased burden because of inflation and the condition of the economy. Teachers while talking to Pakistan Observer said the decrease in the allocation of funds in the head of ‘house rental ceiling’ was pushing them into poverty and homelessness. “The rental ceiling was reduced significantly in the allocated budget and the teachers used the funds they were provided under the rental ceiling to pay their landlords, but now because of the cuts the money is not sufficient to meet their expenses,” said an official of the FDE dealing rental ceiling allocation section. The colleges are running out of funds and cannot provide more, he said. Meanwhile, a senior official of the FDE said a large number of schoolteachers do not have the money to pay their rent and are facing eviction. They are being forced to borrow money to pay rent, they said, and with heating bills in the winter some have to choose between rent and staying warm. The sources said the Islamabad Model Postgraduate College H-8 saw the highest reduction in rental ceiling of all the FG colleges in the capital. The college received Rs13.2 million in the 2019- 20 fiscal year, 37.3pc less than the Rs18.2m it received in 2018-19. The Islamabad Model College for Boys (IMCB) F-10/4 saw a 27.1pc cut in its allocated budget for occupancy costs, and the IMCB H-9 saw a 25.6pc cut. The Islamabad Model College for Commerce H-8/4 saw a cut of 17pc, the Islamabad Model Postgraduate College for Girls F-7/4 saw a cut of 13pc and the Islamabad Model College for Girls G-10/4saw a cut of 12pc. Although most of these colleges are named ‘model’ colleges, they are still considered FG colleges in terms of administration. Their names were changed under the last PPP government. The money the colleges received was not sufficient to cover six months’ rentin the current fiscal year
