Discrimination in education: Teachers of model colleges threaten to boycott classes

Demand a separate directorate to streamline budget allocations.

ISLAMABAD:

The teaching and non-teaching staff of 20 model colleges in the capital launched a protest drive on Monday for pressing their demands including a separate directorate of model colleges.

In a meeting of attended by executive body members of Islamabad model colleges’ association, they have put forward five demands--the most popular being excluding the model colleges from the control of the Federal Directorate of Education (FDE).

They also demanded the implementation of the former prime minister’s directive to grant time-scale promotions to the teachers and related benefits including monetisation.

The staff have demanded the regularisation of 900 teaching and non-teaching employees at model colleges. “Joint Secretary Capital Administration and Development (CAD) Rafique Tahir assured us that all the staff would be regularised which has been approved but we are still waiting for official orders,” said Muhammad Aftab Abbasi, president Islamabad Model Colleges and Schools Employees Welfare Association Islamabad. There are many teachers and non-teaching staffers who have been waiting to be regularised for the last 10 to 15 years, added Abbasi, who also works at IMCG F-6/2.



“All the allocations are for the federal colleges, which shows how biased the FDE and its top hierarchy are towards model colleges,” said another protester.

“We wore black armbands today as a mark of protest,” said Muhammad Aftab Tariq, president Central Academic Staff Association. Tariq, a teacher at Islamabad Model College for Boys (IMCB) F-8/4, stated,  “After the first phase, we’ll boycott classes from Wednesday until our demands are met.”

A teacher who requested anonymity, said employees of the federal colleges were provided with every facility while they were ignored. “When it comes to rent allowance they are issued cheques in advance while we are yet to receive the allowance for previous months,” he added.

CAD Secretary told The Express Tribune that she had met representatives of model colleges some time ago and had assured them their demands would be met. “Such protests just create a nuisance,” she added. The ministry has sent the regularisation list, hiring allowance and other related summaries to the Finance Division so what’s all this fuss about, she asked curtly.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 5^th, 2013.