Unhappy caretakers want some home time

SUKKUR: Slipping grades and student tantrums have been replaced by extra hours of relief work for teachers in Sukkur. Several educational institutes in Sukkur city have been converted into relief camps to accommodate flood survivors from across the province. Instead of students, teachers now have to look after people living at these camps day and night.

Thousands of people evacuated their homes to escape the floods in Kashmore, Kandhkot, Thul, Jacobabad, Shikarpur and other areas and came to Sukkur to find sanctuary, where 291 education institutes have been turned into relief camps. More than 3,500 teachers have been appointed as caretakers of these camps. They have been told to look after the flood survivors and see to any problem they might have.

However, the side-effects of these responsibilities are bearing heavy on the caretakers, especially the female teachers, who are finding it hard to balance their domestic lives with this added work.

Working double-shifts from morning to evening and evening to night, the women complained that they cannot look after their homes and families. Refusing to give their names, the teachers said that they have not been able to prepare for Eid even though “the second ashra of Ramazan has begun”.

“We cannot even take care of our children,” one of the teachers said.

Even though most of the schools have male teachers as well, it is the females that have to work up till 8 pm, they claimed.

“We’ve been separated from our families,” said a distraught teacher, “We keep thinking about our children at home.”

The teachers said they were happy to help at first but almost a month later, they are getting tired of these duties.

Many other women were upset over having to go back home late at night while others complained of being uncomfortable working with the male teachers after sundown.

The teachers have asked the EDO to end the two shifts and allow them to work only one shift so that these difficulties can be smoothed out.

According to EDO Education Jay Ram Das, female teachers have been deputed at relief camps till Iftar time. “If any women are being made to work more than these timings then we will take notice of it,” he added.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 27^th, 2010.