Protest: Teachers up the ante

Boycott classes at schools, vow to fight till their package is implemented.

ISLAMABAD:

Teachers of federal government colleges observed complete boycott of classes on Monday. Camping at the National Press Club now, they vowed to contiue their protest against non-implementation of the package which was promised to them by the PM last year.

After getting no satisfactory response from the concerned authorities and waiting silently for almost a year, the college teachers  started their protest in early September by wearing black armbands to highlight their frustration over the matter. Till last Saturday, the teachers were taking two morning classes and boycotting the rest. But now, they have quit taking any classes till their demands are met.

For not implementing the package, the teachers blamed Capital Administration and Development Division (CADD). They said that the Joint Secretary CADD Rafiq Tahir was creating problems in the implementation process. They also demanded for his removal.

The teachers opined that the joint secretary forwarded the case to the Finance Division with incomplete files with the intention of having the teachers’ case rejected.

A representative of teachers from the federal area said that they would continue to boycott classes till the implementation of the package and their next protest would be in front of the Parliament House.

Federal Government College Teachers Association (FGCTA) President Syed Zahid Ali Shah said that the teachers would stage a sit-in in front of Parliament on World Teachers Day, which falls on October 5.

“We and the students, both suffer due to the callous attitude of some bureaucrats sitting on important positions, who ignore the directives of the prime minister,” he added.

He said that the teachers were forced to take to the streets, as their peaceful request was not given due importance.

“We are aware of the students’ loss because of our boycott. But we have no other option,” he said.

Meanwhile, Information Minister Firdous Ashiq Awan also visited the camp and assured the teachers of highlighting the matter to the concerned high ups. FGCTA Information Secretary Muhammad Tahir Bhatti said that the teachers would use all the options to force the government to implement the package.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 4^th, 2011.