The teachers are protesting the non-implementation of the up-graded scale announced by the prime minister last year. They started their strike on September 21. For nine days they attended the first two classes daily and then gathered outside to protest. Since October 1, they have stopped coming to classes.
The Federal Directorate of Education and Capital Administration and Development Authority (CADD) assured them that their case has been sent to the finance division for approval of funds.
While the government and teachers take their time to sort out their differences, it is the students that suffer. “We attend college but it’s useless as classes have been boycotted and we are missing our daily lessons for the past two weeks,” said Jawad Iqbal, a student of BA-I of FG Boys College H-8 College.
Jamil Manzoor, a student of the same college, said, “We either sit idle in the college canteen or play cricket during the day due to the strike. This is a serious issue.”
A student from the FG Post Graduate College F-7/2 College for Girls said that the teachers and the government both should show more concern for their responsibility towards the students.
However, the teachers say they will continue their protest till their demands are met. General Secretary of the Federal Government College Teachers Association Professor Tahir Mehmood said they no longer believe in claims of moving of files from department to another as a year has passed since these claims are being made and the CADD has to do something practical.
The association says they will not call of the strike as long as the final notification is not issued regarding their pay raise.
Joint Secretary CADD Rafiq Tahir claimed that the case has been approved by the Establishment Division and been sent to Secretary Finance, who is currently out of town.
Tahir claimed the notification would be issued as soon as the secretary comes back from Karachi.
The teachers also observed October 5, the World Teachers’ Day, as a black day.
Published in The Express Tribune, October 10th, 2011.
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Too much slow process while regularizing model colleges teachers