Public education: Stop meddling in department’s affairs: Union

PTU threatens to resort to protest.

LAHORE: The Punjab Teachers’ Union (PTU) on Thursday demanded the government stop other departments from meddling in School Education Department (SED) affairs.

In a statement, the union said the Directorate of Staff Development (DSD), the Punjab Education Commission (PEC), the Punjab Education Foundation (PEF) and the Programme Monitoring and Implementation Unit (PMIU) had been continuously meddling in SED affairs. The PTU said the unrelenting meddling had been negatively impacting educational institutions province-wide. “Now, schools that have been performing well are being handed-over to the Daanish School Authority,” the union said. This will wreak havoc on education standards across the Punjab, the PTU said.

The union claimed that the functionaries of bodies meddling in SED affairs were bereft of requisite expertise. “Even those presiding over such organisations have no background in education. Yet, they draw massive salaries,” the PTU said.

The union said their lack of experience was to blame for the “experiments” they had been introducing in the sectors.

The PTU called for the organisations to be held accountable for their actions. The union said they were provided billions of rupees every year. The PTU said the time was ripe to inspect their performance.  The PTU demanded that the chief minister, the school education minister, chief secretary and the SED secretary take note of the situation.

The union demanded the pledges undertaken following its agitation to be honoured. The PTU said it would resort to protest again if no significant progress was witnessed in this regard.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 17^th, 2016.