Check and double check: Swabi teachers repeatedly harassed over degree verification

All Teachers Association condemns official raids, threatens with protest.

SWABI: Officials of All Teachers Association (ATA) Swabi condemned the raids on government schools asking teachers repeatedly for verification of degrees, along with various other issues on Sunday.

The meeting of ATA Swabi was held in the District Education Office in Shah Mansoor, under the chair of the president of the association Abdul Latif Khan.



While addressing the meeting Latif said earlier they had received a circular from the deputy commissioner’s office about the submission of verified degrees and pictures.

He added that they had fulfilled the requirements accordingly, but that the office was now again asking for the verification of documents which was beyond his understanding.

“The previous government had also verified our documents,” said Latif, “Now the incumbent government is sending its teams three times a month in the name of monitoring, which is not helping the education system in any way and is just a nuisance for teachers and students.”

Teachers present on the occasion also expressed anger over the raids on examination halls during matriculation exams.

They said that on one hand they were being dragged to play their role in elections, polio campaigns and other drives of the government, while on the other they were being harassed in the name of inspection.

Participants at the meeting warned that if this was not stopped, they would stage a protest for which the government would be responsible.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 24^th, 2014.