Contempt of court: LHC seeks response on why teachers were not promoted
Court orders to promote the teachers in garrison, cantts were issued in 2008.
RAWALPINDI:
A high court judge on Thursday sought replies from top federal and garrison officials to explain within two weeks why over 500 teachers have been denied promotion in violation of court orders.
The Lahore High Court (LHC) Rawalpindi bench judge Ali Baqir Najfi put on notice Defence Secretary Nargis Sethi, finance Secretary Wajid Rana, Establishment Division Secretary Khushnood Lashari, and Director Federal Government Educational Institutions, Cantonments and Garrisons (FGEICG) Director Brigadier Raheel Ashraf in a contempt of court petition filed by Abdul Waheed, a retired schoolteacher for non-implementation of LHC’s orders.
The petitioner maintained that promotions of 540 trained graduate teachers (TGTs) had been pending since 2001, despite orders issued by the Federal Service Tribunal (FST) and the LHC.
The petitioner’s counsel, Bilal Farooq Kiani, said that a four-tier formula for teachers was evolved in 2001 under which 50 per cent teachers in BPS-16 were to be promoted to BPS-17, 34 per cent to BPS-18, 15 per cent to BPS-19 and one per cent to BPS-20. “FGEICG did not implement the formula, forcing 540 teachers to approach the FST in 2003. The tribunal decided in their favour in 2008.”
For teachers working under the defence ministry, the secretary sought the opinion of the Law and Justice Department which ordered immediate implementation of the FST’s directive in 2008, the lawyer said. “The FGEICG directorate and the defence ministry, however, did not implement the orders, forcing teachers to approach the LHC in 2010 which decided the case in their favour.”
The LHC had observed in its decision that teachers working under the Federal Directorate of Education were promoted and were getting higher wages commensurate with senior grades, stated Kiani. Therefore, FGEICG teachers should get equal treatment and the four-tier promotion formula must be implemented immediately. The lawyer said hundreds of trained teachers had either died or retired waiting for promotions.
In 2011, seven teachers filed a second petition in LHC for the implementation of earlier order and in February 2012 the court once again directed the authorities to implement the orders, advocate Kiani said.
Published in The Express Tribune, May 25th, 2012.
A high court judge on Thursday sought replies from top federal and garrison officials to explain within two weeks why over 500 teachers have been denied promotion in violation of court orders.
The Lahore High Court (LHC) Rawalpindi bench judge Ali Baqir Najfi put on notice Defence Secretary Nargis Sethi, finance Secretary Wajid Rana, Establishment Division Secretary Khushnood Lashari, and Director Federal Government Educational Institutions, Cantonments and Garrisons (FGEICG) Director Brigadier Raheel Ashraf in a contempt of court petition filed by Abdul Waheed, a retired schoolteacher for non-implementation of LHC’s orders.
The petitioner maintained that promotions of 540 trained graduate teachers (TGTs) had been pending since 2001, despite orders issued by the Federal Service Tribunal (FST) and the LHC.
The petitioner’s counsel, Bilal Farooq Kiani, said that a four-tier formula for teachers was evolved in 2001 under which 50 per cent teachers in BPS-16 were to be promoted to BPS-17, 34 per cent to BPS-18, 15 per cent to BPS-19 and one per cent to BPS-20. “FGEICG did not implement the formula, forcing 540 teachers to approach the FST in 2003. The tribunal decided in their favour in 2008.”
For teachers working under the defence ministry, the secretary sought the opinion of the Law and Justice Department which ordered immediate implementation of the FST’s directive in 2008, the lawyer said. “The FGEICG directorate and the defence ministry, however, did not implement the orders, forcing teachers to approach the LHC in 2010 which decided the case in their favour.”
The LHC had observed in its decision that teachers working under the Federal Directorate of Education were promoted and were getting higher wages commensurate with senior grades, stated Kiani. Therefore, FGEICG teachers should get equal treatment and the four-tier promotion formula must be implemented immediately. The lawyer said hundreds of trained teachers had either died or retired waiting for promotions.
In 2011, seven teachers filed a second petition in LHC for the implementation of earlier order and in February 2012 the court once again directed the authorities to implement the orders, advocate Kiani said.
Published in The Express Tribune, May 25th, 2012.