Schoolteachers refuse to call off province-wide protest until demands addressed
Say they will only withdraw announcement if notification to increase pay scales is issued
PHOTO: EXPRESS
LAHORE:
The Punjab School Education secretary may have been full of assurances in his meeting with teachers, but the latter are not willing to withdraw their call for a protest unless their demands for increases in basic pay scale are not met.
The primary demand is that the government upgrades the basic pay scale of primary school teachers to 14, elementary school teachers to 16 and secondary school teachers to 17. The teachers also demanded that those who were already in grades 14, 16 and 17 should get two additional promotions, along with other benefits.
K-P approves timescale, promotion policy for primary school teachers
Other demands of teachers included halting the process of handing over public schools to NGOs through the Punjab Education Foundation (PEF) and stopping disciplinary action against teachers.
In this connection, several of the teachers’ groups held a meeting with Punjab SED Secretary Dr Allah Baksh Malik. Despite assurances that their basic demand of scale upgradation would be met, as per the announcement in the budget 2017-18 by the Punjab government, the teachers’ bodies said that they would hold protest on August 24 outside press clubs in every district of the province. Also, a sit-in has been organised for September 16 in front of the Punjab Assembly in Lahore.
K-P unveils compendium for school teachers
In a statement released by the Punjab Teachers’ Union (PTU), the body said that the meeting held with the SED secretary ended on a positive note. However, the union said if notifications were not issued by the government, they would hold their protests as per schedule.
They said the teachers’ community only took to the streets when forced to do so. The union members added they had been assured that a summary for the upgradation of teachers had been sent to the Punjab Finance Department and a notification was expected in a week. However, they added the decision to protest was taken in their general body meeting and would go ahead if the notification was not issued.
Published in The Express Tribune, July 28th, 2017.
The Punjab School Education secretary may have been full of assurances in his meeting with teachers, but the latter are not willing to withdraw their call for a protest unless their demands for increases in basic pay scale are not met.
The primary demand is that the government upgrades the basic pay scale of primary school teachers to 14, elementary school teachers to 16 and secondary school teachers to 17. The teachers also demanded that those who were already in grades 14, 16 and 17 should get two additional promotions, along with other benefits.
K-P approves timescale, promotion policy for primary school teachers
Other demands of teachers included halting the process of handing over public schools to NGOs through the Punjab Education Foundation (PEF) and stopping disciplinary action against teachers.
In this connection, several of the teachers’ groups held a meeting with Punjab SED Secretary Dr Allah Baksh Malik. Despite assurances that their basic demand of scale upgradation would be met, as per the announcement in the budget 2017-18 by the Punjab government, the teachers’ bodies said that they would hold protest on August 24 outside press clubs in every district of the province. Also, a sit-in has been organised for September 16 in front of the Punjab Assembly in Lahore.
K-P unveils compendium for school teachers
In a statement released by the Punjab Teachers’ Union (PTU), the body said that the meeting held with the SED secretary ended on a positive note. However, the union said if notifications were not issued by the government, they would hold their protests as per schedule.
They said the teachers’ community only took to the streets when forced to do so. The union members added they had been assured that a summary for the upgradation of teachers had been sent to the Punjab Finance Department and a notification was expected in a week. However, they added the decision to protest was taken in their general body meeting and would go ahead if the notification was not issued.
Published in The Express Tribune, July 28th, 2017.