Teachers boycott mid-term exams
The Joint Action Committee of teaching and non-teaching staff has announced to suspend the mid-term examinations scheduled to be started Monday (today) as part of their ongoing protest against the federal government’s decision of placing the Federal Directorate of Education (FDE) under the administrative control of the Islamabad mayor.
The FDE Joint Action Committee meeting was chaired by its chairman Fazal Maula.
Joint Action Committee Vice-Chairman Mansoor Ali Shah briefed the committee members regarding the unsuccessful talks with the education ministry officials and the persistent deadlock.
The FDE Joint Action Committee has clarified that a pen-down strike will continue until the repealing of section 166 of the Islamabad Local Government Ordinance, issued by the federal government recently.
The FDE Joint Action Committee unanimously decided to continue the strike and boycott of classes in all federal government educational institutions until the government reversed the ordinance.
It said that from now onwards. negotiations will only be held at the top level, seeking the reversal of the ordinance.
The committee members said the new date for the mid-term exams will be announced once the educational activities were restored.
They asked the students to continue their preparation of the syllabus that had been taught so far.
The committee said that heads of the institutions will also take parents into confidence in the parents-teachers meeting.
It was decided that sub-committees of the FDE Joint Action Committee will continue the awareness campaign about the new ordinance while the central committee will visit six sectors regularly.
Earlier, the FDE Joint Action Committee delegation met with Federal Education Minister Shafqat Mahmood, who had called them for negotiations after the teaching and non-teaching staff staged a massive protest demonstration outside the Parliament House the other day.
The FDE teachers have shut schools and boycotted classes after the federal government issued an ordinance, placing all federal educational institutions including schools and colleges under the administrative control of the Islamabad mayor.
During the first round of the negotiation, the education minister and the secretary of education had agreed to reverse section 166 of the ordinance and issue a notification to return the administrative control of 33 model colleges, which had been put under the administrative control of the Federal College of Education (FCE).
The FDE Joint Action Committee members had said that the education minister had issued directives to the officials concerned to remove their reservations. However, the committee members said, the additional secretary of the education ministry refused to issue a written assurance about the revocation of the ordinance related to the FDE educational institutions stating that only the federal cabinet was rested with the power to do away with section 166 of the ordinance.
The FDE Joint Action Committee wanted a written assurance for the revocation of the ordinance before they end their boycott of classes and reopening of schools.
Earlier, FDE Joint Action Committee Chairman Fazal Maula told The Express Tribune that their protest will continue until their demands were met as it was the question of the future status of 20,000 employees as civil servants.
He had said that the federal education minister had agreed to their legitimate demands but the ministry officials did not give anything in writing in this regard. “We will remain firm on our stance until practical steps are taken,” he said.
High-ups at the education ministry had said earlier the FDE employees have been assured that amendments could be made about their service structure and their all demands could be met phase-wise if they announce to end their protest and start classes.
The officials had said at notification regarding placing 33 model colleges under the FDE administrative control could be issued immediately, however, it was beyond the education ministry’s scope to repeal the whole ordinance.
A day after the FDE was put under the administrative control of the Islamabad mayor, the education ministry placed 33 model colleges under the administrative control of the Federal College Education.
The move followed the issuance of a new ordinance regarding the Amendment in Islamabad Capital Territory Local Government Act 2015.
Published in The Express Tribune, December 6th, 2021.