Opposition takes exception to use of force against teachers

PPP minister insists police right to take action because teachers were entering red zone

KARACHI: Members of the opposition in the Sindh Assembly raised the issue of the protesting teachers, who were beaten by police for attempting to enter the "red zone" a couple of days earlier.

Grand Democratic Alliance MPA Nusrat Seher Abbasi, speaking on a call-attention notice, questioned why the teachers weren't being regularised when they had passed the NTS tests. She also took exception to the treatment meted out to the protesting teachers at the hands of the police.

Abbasi was referring to the incident on Monday, the teachers, marching under a one-point charter of demand for the regularisation of their contracts, attempted to enter the red zone. They were met by baton charge with the police. Several of the teachers leading the protest as well as others were also arrested.

"There is no minister for education in Sindh," said Abbasi during the session on Wednesday. "The Sindh chief minister is not superman that he is keeping so many departments," she added, saying that Syed Sardar Shah should be the minister for education if the Sindh CM couldn't manage all the departments.

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"Everyone has the right to protest," Abbasi continued. "The teachers who have passed the NTS test aren't being regularised on the basis of merit. The police launched baton charge on the teachers who were protesting for their rights and lock them up," she said, while questioning who gave the order of launching baton charge on the teachers.

In response, provincial minister Sardar Shah said that the trend of making speeches on call attention notices shouldn't be encouraged. "Otherwise, we are great debaters too," he remarked.

Shah said that teachers' appointments were made on the basis of merit for the first time during the PPP's rule. "The teachers have already been regularised," adding that a policy had been devised for the regularisation of 16,800 teachers who had passed the NTS test. "Age, academic qualification and experience will be considered for regularisation," he explained.

Addressing the issue of police brutality, Shah justified that the police will take action against the teachers if they violate the laws and enter the red-zone. "We accept the right to protest but it should be done within the limits fixed by the law," he said.

Water woes

Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal MPA Syed Abdul Rasheed presented a call-attention notice for the privatisation of the Karachi Water and Sewerage Board.

Information Minister Saeed Ghani explained that the PPP has always been opposed to the privatisation of agencies. "There is no truth in the rumours regarding the privatisation of KWSB, although reformation is being undertaken," he said, adding that some officials in the KWSB were worried about the reforms and were spreading such rumours.

Condition of schools

Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf's (PTI) Shahnawaz Jadoon, presenting his call-attention notice, pleaded for mercy on his electoral constituency. "The schools don't have furniture and students sit on the floor," he said, adding that if anyone wanted to see what education was, they could visit Khyber Pakhtunkhwa to see how the schools are run.

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In response, the PPP's Sardar Shah said, "We are accused that millions of students are out of schools in Sindh. It is true that 5 million children are out of schools here but there are 12.5 million children who are out of schools in Punjab." He asked the lawmakers to identify issues because criticism alone wouldn't work. "Identify the issues and we are willing to make the schools better," he added.

Another PTI MPA Jamal Siddiqi raised the issue of violation of rules and regulations and advance collection of fees in the Beacon House Schools. Again, Sardar Shah replied that they have cancelled the registration of private schools for the first time. "We will take action against them if a proper complaint is filed," he added.

The questions and answers session of law and parliamentary affairs had non-serious discussions and no reasonable answer could surface in the discussion.

Standing ovation

Earlier, as the session started with speaker Agha Siraj Durrani in the chair, treasury members stood up from their desks to accord a raucous welcome to PPP MPA Faryal Talpur when she entered the hall. Durrani congratulated Talapur on Asif Ali Zardari's release and said, "I'm proud of him".

Published in The Express Tribune, December 12^th, 2019.