Teachers protest for permanent status, revised pay scales

Dahar claims incompetent teachers were hired


Our Correspondent December 27, 2017
Dahar claims incompetent teachers were hired. PHOTO: FILE

KARACHI: Protests by teachers employed in public sector institutions of Karachi and other districts of Sindh continued on Tuesday for the second day as demonstrators staged a sit-in outside the Karachi Press Club, calling for disbursement of salaries and permanent status for jobs.

The teachers hired through Sindh University and the National Testing Service (NTS) demand immediate permanency for their jobs without further tests or conditions and payment of outstanding salaries. On the other hand, protesters from the Primary Teachers Association (PTA) demand promotions. “We have not been promoted even after working for years at the same grade,” said a protester.

They complained that the governments in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa and Punjab have made their teachers’ jobs permanent three years in advance and have also raised their salaries. Whereas, they said, the Sindh government does not seem interested in making them permanent nor revising their pay scales.

Police don’t spare the rod with Sindh’s teachers

Sindhi language teachers are disgruntled over the lack of payment of their salaries for the last five years. “Our children have been forced to starve,” said a teacher. “They wonder why their father cannot earn money when he goes to work every day. The police was not ashamed when it baton charged our mothers and sisters. Now we will care no more. We will obliterate ourselves but will stay until our demands are met,” he threatened.

New Teacher Action Committee President Abu Bakr, talking to Express News, said that while the Pakistan Peoples Party advocated respect for women, it seldom ensured that in practical terms. “We are being assaulted for the past six years,” he said. “We held several protests but those who call themselves the champions of democracy did not pay any heed,” he lamented.

According to the protesters, the Karachi Commissioner has given a deadline of December 28 for their demands to be met and an official notification to be released. However, the teachers are adamant to remain steadfast even if it takes longer.

Bilawal slams govt's use of force on protesting teachers in Karachi

Education Minister Jam Mehtab Dahar said that the number of redundant teachers was not between 10,000 and 12,000 but more than 22,000 and that the teachers hired to teach Sindhi and Arabic languages were not able to read. “The presence of such teachers on state payroll is a threat to the education system,” he said, adding that those hired through the NTS have been given an extension of six months while the decision regarding their future will depend on future policy.

COMMENTS

Replying to X

Comments are moderated and generally will be posted if they are on-topic and not abusive.

For more information, please see our Comments FAQ