Before school reopens: Teachers irked at having to cut vacations short

Complain they had ‘nothing to do’ after being told to come in on Sunday

ISLAMABAD: The Federal Directorate of Education (FDE) decision to call teachers and administrative staff to schools and colleges on Sunday, a day before terms restart after the winter break, has drawn the ire of school staff.

Staff had been told to visit their respective institutions on Sunday to organise classes, prepare charts, coursework and decorating classrooms ahead of the return of students.

However, the move perturbed the teachers who complained that they had to cut short their planned vacations. Interestingly, teachers claimed that there was nothing to plan or organize on Sunday.

With public transport unavailable on Sunday, women teachers complained they had to face difficulty in travelling long distances to their respective schools located in the suburbs.

“There was no need to make arrangements to reopen schools and colleges after the winter break as it is only for one week in contrast to the months-long summer break,” complained a female teacher who did not wish to be named. The official winter break began on December 24 and ended on January 1.

Muhammad Akram, a former General Secretary of the College Teachers Association, said that if a professor was the FDE DG, such orders would never have been issued.

FDE DG defends decision

CADD Joint Secretary of Education Ayesha Farooq, who is currently holds the acting charge of FDE DG, explained to The Express Tribune that only administrative staff, principals had been told to come in on Sunday.

Farooq added that the decision had been taken a week ago to prepare for upcoming classes. “In a private setup, teachers prepare for lectures but here they even don’t clean the classes and leave before the students leave,” the acting FDE Director General said.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 2^nd, 2017.