Pay, promotion disparity irks teachers
The federal government teachers of Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT) have stressed the authorities concerned to improve the 4-tier promotion formula of teachers on an urgent basis, which has remained stagnant and unchanged for the past 30 years.
In a glaring case of unequal treatment, the government teachers of the capital city are demanding an improvement in their service structure, citing a stark disparity between their status and that of their provincial counterparts as well as other government servants in the federal government.
The disparity between the promotion structures of federal and provincial teachers has led to discontent among educators in the capital.
Dr Rahima Rehman, president of the Federal Government College Teachers Association (FGCTA), said, “It is widely acknowledged that an attractive pay and promotion structure plays a vital role in ensuring the effectiveness of teachers in the classroom”.
Recognising this, she said the provincial governments of Punjab and K-P took decisive action back in 2012 to make their pay structure more lucrative, creating a promising environment for their educators. Later on, the Sindh government followed Punjab and KPK provinces and improved the 4-tier service structure of its teachers in 2021.
Unfortunately, the federal government has not yet made any substantial improvements to the pay and promotion structure of its teachers since 1992, leaving them with an outdated and unappealing service structure, she said and added, this has created an unjust gap between federal and provincial teachers.
Dr Jabir Hussain, Press and Information Secretary of FGCTA highlighted the additional disparities faced by federal teachers compared to other federal government servants.
He stated that other federal government servants working in ministries and divisions were enjoying the favourable service structures which was further exacerbating the disparity.
Published in The Express Tribune, May 22nd, 2023.