Teachers say anti-polio drives, election duties are putting students at stake

‘ECP should choose alternative venues for polling stations instead of schools’.

PESHAWAR: Primary school teachers say the government’s policy to give them additional assignments for elections and vaccination drives is putting the future of many children at stake.

Malik Khalid Khan, provincial president of the All Primary Teachers Association (APTA), said while on one hand the government is spending large sums on money to increase literacy in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, on the other hand teachers are being forced out of class and expected to perform additional duties, including polio vaccinations, preparing voter lists, census and house counting, Malik said.

“This is not part of our profession. Teachers are supposed to teach and if the government is really serious about increasing literacy, teachers should be left alone, he added.

APTA District President Azizullah Khan said there are around 73,000 male and female primary school teachers in K-P, most of whom are not interested in this extra work.

School teachers have also been killed during anti-polio drives across the province. “The health department should be doing this,” he said, adding teachers will be compelled to resign if the government continues with the system.



Teacher Liaquat Ali Khan said sending teachers for election duties affects students. “Is there no other department to this?”

Khan said the Election Commission of Pakistan should choose alternative venues for polling stations instead of schools.

Peshawar Deputy Commissioner Javed Marwat said the National Emergency Institute is responsible for assigning duties to all government employees. Polio vaccination and election duties are determined by this institute and they select teachers for this purpose, he added.

While teachers did face security risks before, steps have been taken to tighten security for the upcoming three-day vaccination campaign.

Overlooking the teachers concerns, Marwat said they are government employees and are expected to perform government-assigned duties. While teachers should prioritise teaching, they must do other duties for the good of the country, he added.

Elementary and Secondary Education Director Rafiq Khattak said teachers are at the state’s disposal and can be assigned any duty, adding that they are appropriately paid.

Not all 8,000 teachers in Peshawar are required to perform other tasks. “Employees apart from education department are also assigned these responsibilities and they work without any problem,” he added.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 20^th, 2013.