Teachers unfazed by government actions
A teacher takes a class at the government school in FB Area which was retrieved from illegal occupants on the directives of the Sindh Ombudsman following a report published in The Express Tribune. Photo: Express
Days after the public school teachers and employees defied its orders against shutting down the government schools across the Rawalpindi Division, the Ministry of Education has issued show-cause notices to 189 educators, who were protesting the privatisation of government schools and changes to pension rules and leave encashment, under the Punjab Employees Efficiency, Discipline Act (PEDA) 2006.
The issuance of show-cause notices has angered the teachers’ organisations which have announced not to respond to these notices and to continue the strike, boycott of the teaching system and lockdown of schools. The protesting teachers have directed their fellow educators not to receive the show-cause notices and to intensify the protest movement.
Read: Teachers defy govt warning, shut schools
In the show-cause notices, the schoolteachers and clerks have come under fire for frequent absences from schools, raising anti-government slogans and posting comments on social media.
The ongoing strike by the schoolteachers, clerks and the non-teaching staff of the 43 other government institutions in support of their three main demands has entered the 17th day.
The public schools have been closed for the last week and the educational system has come to a standstill while the registration offices for residential and commercial properties have ceased to process new registrations.
The anti-dengue campaign in government schools has also come to a halt and the absence rate of female teachers in public schools has reached 100 per cent.
On Wednesday, the assistant education and monitoring officers, who went to the schools to monitor and check the attendance of the teachers, were not allowed to enter the schools due to the ongoing lockdown, forcing them to send reports of absenteeism of 90 per cent of teachers and schools in all six districts of the Rawalpindi Division.
More workers go on strike
Meanwhile, employees of the offices of the commissioner, deputy commissioners, assistant commissioners and agriculture and forest departments also went on strike.
Additionally, the police department has been approached by the employees’ federation, with whom they have begun negotiations for a full strike. In the discussions, police officers and employees have been informed about the details of the record reduction in pension and leave encashment due to the amendments to the pension and leave encashment rules.
Read more: Protest forces closure of public schools across Pindi
Leaders of the All Government Employees Grand Alliance (AGEGA) have claimed that with these roles, the government is going to forcefully retire all 55-year-old employees in the second phase under the Golden Handshake scheme by declaring them as a surplus.
They said a formal agreement to sell 14,740 primary, middle, high, and higher secondary schools across Punjab, including 1,380 government schools in the Rawalpindi division, to NGOs has been signed by the government.
“These schools have been given to Muslim Hands and DIL who are preparing to take over in November,” they said, adding the teachers, clerks, and non-teaching staff will not allow any NGOs to enter public educational institutions to occupy them.
Protest intensifies
Earlier, a large number of patwaris (property registrars), officers of the Baitul Maal and parents also participated in the protest of teachers and clerks at the Islamia Higher Secondary School No 1, Murree Road at 11am.
Addressing the protesters, teacher and clerk leaders Raja Tahir, Akhian Gul, Muhammad Shafiq Bhalwalia, Basharat Iqbal Raja, Shahzad Kayani, Chaudhary Mubasher and Fida Hussain Shah said: “Our protest movement is not going to stop. We continue to remain non-violent. Schools will be permanently locked down and academic sessions will not be commenced. Additionally, the marking of supplementary examination papers of matriculation has also been boycotted, the anti-polio and electoral responsibilities will not be assumed in the future and the anti-dengue duties have been discontinued.”
Published in The Express Tribune, October 19th, 2023.