Not all participants keen on dengue drive
Teachers forced to work for second consecutive Sunday.
LAHORE:
Several teachers at government schools expressed unhappiness at being called in to work for the second consecutive Sunday.
Schools Education Deputy Secretary Qaiser Rasheed said that all teaching and non-teaching staff had been called in on Sunday in compliance with the chief minister’s orders to promote awareness about preventive measures against dengue.
The Punjab Education Foundation head office and its various partner schools across the city also remained open and their staff were called to work.
However, several teachers complained about having to work for a second consecutive Sunday, having conducted a special cleaning drive last weekend.
“What is the purpose of making the teachers sit here while the students are absent?” said a teacher at Victoria Higher Secondary School, who worked on the day from 8am to 3pm. “All we did was to look over the support staff and the peons.”
She said teachers had not been allowed to leave the campuses because of warnings from district education officers that teams set up by the chief minister would conduct surprise visits at schools to see that his instructions were being followed. “We were told that legal action would be taken against the principal and the staff of the school found negligent in their duties,” she said.
Some teachers said that they had been told that they should expect to come to school on Sundays for the next two months.
Rasheed, the deputy secretary, said that the government could not force teachers to work on their weekly day off, but “they have been highly encouraged to participate”. He added: “What’s wrong in motivating people to keep their environment clean?”
He said that other people were sacrificing their off day too.
“We had additional secretaries, deputy secretaries, all coming in to work on Sunday to facilitate the government in its anti-dengue campaign,” Rasheed said.
He said that he did not know if teachers would be required to work next Sunday.
Meanwhile, some city government officials complained that all their departments were being engaged in anti-dengue activities, when some of those departments had little to do with public health or hygiene and had their own responsibilities to take care of.
More anti-dengue day stories, pictures on page 14
Published in The Express Tribune, September 3rd, 2012.
Several teachers at government schools expressed unhappiness at being called in to work for the second consecutive Sunday.
Schools Education Deputy Secretary Qaiser Rasheed said that all teaching and non-teaching staff had been called in on Sunday in compliance with the chief minister’s orders to promote awareness about preventive measures against dengue.
The Punjab Education Foundation head office and its various partner schools across the city also remained open and their staff were called to work.
However, several teachers complained about having to work for a second consecutive Sunday, having conducted a special cleaning drive last weekend.
“What is the purpose of making the teachers sit here while the students are absent?” said a teacher at Victoria Higher Secondary School, who worked on the day from 8am to 3pm. “All we did was to look over the support staff and the peons.”
She said teachers had not been allowed to leave the campuses because of warnings from district education officers that teams set up by the chief minister would conduct surprise visits at schools to see that his instructions were being followed. “We were told that legal action would be taken against the principal and the staff of the school found negligent in their duties,” she said.
Some teachers said that they had been told that they should expect to come to school on Sundays for the next two months.
Rasheed, the deputy secretary, said that the government could not force teachers to work on their weekly day off, but “they have been highly encouraged to participate”. He added: “What’s wrong in motivating people to keep their environment clean?”
He said that other people were sacrificing their off day too.
“We had additional secretaries, deputy secretaries, all coming in to work on Sunday to facilitate the government in its anti-dengue campaign,” Rasheed said.
He said that he did not know if teachers would be required to work next Sunday.
Meanwhile, some city government officials complained that all their departments were being engaged in anti-dengue activities, when some of those departments had little to do with public health or hygiene and had their own responsibilities to take care of.
More anti-dengue day stories, pictures on page 14
Published in The Express Tribune, September 3rd, 2012.