College teachers to take to streets

Accuse FDE high-ups of pursuing anti-teacher policies

ISLAMABAD:

Teachers belonging to federal government colleges have announced to stage a protest demonstration outside the National Press Club on December 14 against what they said are the anti-teacher policies of the Federal Directorate of Education (FDE).

The Federal Government College Teachers’ Association said that the FDE continues to follow anti-teacher policies. The association said that the teachers will stage the protest against the transfer and posting of teachers of federal government colleges to model colleges and schools without any reason, the delay in release of dunds under the house hiring ceiling, and in favour of the revival of associate degree and four-year BS programmes.

An emergency meeting of the executive council of the Federal Government College Teachers’ Association was held at H-8 College and it was unanimously decided that a massive protest will be held in front of the National Press Club on December 14, Wednesday, against the alleged anti-teacher behaviour of the FDE.

Federal Government College Teachers’ Association (FGCTA) President Rahima Rehman has said that initially, women teachers will stage the protest rally outside the press club. She said that their representation in the FDE decision-making should be made mandatory because the teachers were constantly facing problems.

Dr Rahman said that they have sent their demands to the ministry of education. “This is happening for the first time that women teaching in colleges are being sent to schools. Recently, the federal college teachers protested against the recent transfer from federal colleges to model colleges calling it a revengeful action by the FDE,” she said.

The female teachers alleged that FDE top officials transfer the teachers based on personal likes and dislikes and without consideration for their difficulties. They further said that the FDE officials were bent on torturing the teachers by transferring them to distant stations.

An official of the association said that the college teachers have also demanded the establishment of a separate administrative set-up for federal colleges and the early disbursement of hiring funds. The association said that retaliatory actions against teachers must stop immediately and “illegal” transfer and posting orders should be done away with.

A teachers’ representative Asifa Iqbal said that associate degree and four-year BS programmes should be revived in colleges. She said that the FDE shoule held regular meetings for promotion and time-scale and the service structure of teachers should be improved.

The teachers said that the protest will continue until the problems of teachers, students and institutions were resolved.

Meanwhile, Elementary School Teachers (ESTs) working in educational institutions under the Federal Government Educational Institutions Cantonments Garrisons Directorate have demanded of Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif to upgrade their position to grade 16.

ESTs working in 355 educational institutions under the FGEI Cantonment Garrison Directorate across the country have demanded to upgrade their position from grade 14 to grade-16. They said that they have been waiting for a promotion for years.

According to the teachers, along with the up-gradation, they should be given three to five additional annual increments. They said that the same facility should be given to all TGT and SST teachers as well as to honorary teachers.

The teachers said that the formula developed by the Federal Government Educational Institutions Cantonment Garrison Directorate for the promotion and induction of EST teachers is 25 per cent for promotion and 75 per cent for recruitment of new teachers which was unjust. Due to this, thousands of teachers have been waiting for promotion for the last 16 years while recruitment of new teachers is going on every year.

According to the teachers, FGEIs Directorate has not promoted EST teachers since 2007. By the year 2022, hundreds of new teachers have been recruited, thus depriving thousands of teachers of their basic rights. Teachers Farhat Abbas, Malik Gulzar Ahmad, Arif Abbasi, Osama Mumtaz Qureshi and others said that inflation in the country has risen to such an extent that they have not been able to make both ends meet with their current salary. They said EST teachers have also been ignored in the four-tier formula which was cruelty.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 12^th, 2022.