‘Insulting’ orders: Teachers announce protest against HED

LAHORE: The college lecturers and professors of the province have announced they will start a protest movement against the Punjab Higher Education Department (HED) from Monday against ‘insulting’ instructions imposed by the department.

Punjab Professors and Lecturers Association (PPLA), in a meeting, decided to initiate protests starting Monday against the HED over a letter, which they have termed insulting to the teachers’ community. The PPLA has announced that teachers would wear black bands on their arms from today (Monday). Furthermore, the teachers’ association also announced suspension of academic activities in colleges.



PPLA’s reaction came after the HED instructed all Directors of Education (Colleges) to implement disciplinary measures in public colleges of the province.

According to the directions issued by the HED, all colleges must maintain attendance registers of every class and should be produced to the inspection team upon their demand.

Another clause of the instruction that has irked teachers was a ban on causal leaves except only in case of death of near relative. The letter also included other clauses that asked principals and teaching staff to maintain punctuality and maintain records. The letter warned that in case of negligence, the officials concerned would be held accountable.

According to the PPLA, the inspection teams were made up of contractual hires was unrelated and alien to the college education system. PPLA said that senior teachers were being insulted by the inspection teams and the teachers’ community would not tolerate this. The PPLA also objected to the ban imposed on leaves. They condemned leaves being made conditional to deaths of relatives of teachers.



The PPLA announced that teachers from all over the province would start their protest against the instructions of the HED and would wear black armbands from today (Monday). From next week, the PPLA announced that from November 13, teachers would boycott academic activities for one hour between 11am to 12pm.

Furthermore, the teachers’ body announced holding protest rallies in front of press clubs in all districts and divisional headquarters in the province. The PPLA also announced a rally in Lahore on November 29 in Lahore against the HED.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 6^th, 2017.