Afghan gov’t raises teachers’ pay under MPs’ pressure

By Shadi Khan Saif

KABUL, Afghanistan (AA) - Afghanistan’s government has approved a slight increase in the salaries of teachers and civil servants on the recommendation of the country’s parliament, an official said Wednesday.

“Good news for all public servants. With the increment of 2,000 Afghanis [$26] in the salaries of teachers and low-ranking public servants […] a step towards the approval of the annual budget has been taken,” said Mir Afghan Safi, chairman of the parliament’s finance and budget committee.

The months-long rift between the government and the parliament over the issue led to delays in issuance of salaries and halted government operations.

Syed Azeem, a member of the finance and budget committee, said the rejection of the budget twice compelled the government to bring necessary changes and raise over 10 billion Afghanis ($13 million) worth of salaries of some nearly 450,000 teachers and other public servants.

Last week, Finance Minister Mohammad Khalid Payenda had warned of additional economic hardships in the country if the lower house continued to hinder approval of the annual budget.

The lawmakers are also pushing the Afghan government to drastically cut hefty salaries of an array of top officials and advisers at various ministries including the presidency.