Reverence for teachers?

One can only write with a heavy heart about teachers being subjected to rough treatment at the hands of the police

One can only write with a heavy heart about a society where teachers are subjected to rough treatment at the hands of the police. Teachers are nation builders so they deserve utmost respect and reverence. What happened in Sindh’s capital this past Monday is heart-breaking. This does not become a democratic government. When a group of high school principals protesting for their regularisation for the past 22 days tried to stage a sit-in outside the CM House, they were baton-charged. Some of them suffered injuries to their heads, noses and bodies. The police detained around 15 male and 10 female teachers for some time. Around 985 men and women had been appointed, in 2017, school principals after they had cleared an examination conducted by the IBA Sukkur. Despite having been appointed after passing a tough test, they are facing an uncertain future as they have not been regularised even after four years. Their performance has all through been satisfactory — a fact confirmed by the provincial minister of education.

Teachers claim that the Sindh government has placed advertisements in newspapers for recruitment of principals, which they feel is aimed at replacing them with new appointees. The education minister says that the government’s hands are tied by a decision of the Sindh High Court barring appointments in Grades 16 and 17 without clearance from the Sindh Public Service Commission. On the other hand, teachers claim that the government has made appointments to these positions bypassing the SPSC. This allegation smacks of favouritism, and this is leading the protesting educators to doubt the government’s intentions. The authorities should give up their ambivalent attitude and resolve the issue in an amicable manner. The teachers need protection of their jobs. It goes without saying that uncertainty causes anxiety and mental agony.

Initially, principals protested outside the Karachi Press Club, but since March 15 they have been staging a sit-in close to the Sindh Assembly building. This has blocked the road leading to Burns Road causing problems for commuters.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 24^th, 2021.

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