Teachers end sit-in after dialogue

The Punjab Secondary Schools Teachers Association (PSSTA) called off its sit-in outside Bani Gala and on Murree Road calling for contractual teachers to be regularised after a successful dialogue with the administration on Sunday held at the Rawalpindi Deputy Commissioner (DC) Anwarul Haq’s office.

The next meeting of the delegation will be held in Lahore today (Monday) with the Punjab School Education Minister Sardar Murad Raas and Law Minister Raja Basharat, the DC shared. He assured that the committee will listen to the grievances of the teachers and take all necessary measures to resolve their concerns.

The protesting teachers warned that they will stage a sit-in again if the government fails to fulfill its commitments. The stage in at both locations was called off formally by PSSTA Chairman Qasim Bukhari after the meeting, saying that the administration has assured that their demands will be met.

He expressed that the teachers were aggrieved and demanded the respect of the administration as they continued to sit-in at two locations while the mercury has been dropping. He reiterated that the contractual secondary school teachers should be regularised immediately.

On Saturday, the protesting Secondary Schools Educators (SSEs) from across Punjab encountered tear-gas shells and baton-charge by the Islamabad police as they tried to reach the residence of Prime Minister Imran Khan.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 21^st, 2020.