The ministry, along with an international NGO, held the event to launch the Education for All Report 2015.
The event lacked representation from the Capital Administration and Development Division (CADD), which oversees educational institutes in the city while a few teachers and students from Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT) schools and colleges were present.
The teachers awaiting salaries have been serving as daily wagers for the past three years with hopes of being regularised, however the ministry dashed their hopes last month after it hired a dozen teachers for the same job.
“We have no other option but to wait for our salaries which we hope to get someday,” Ihsan Bangash, a lecturer from Islamabad Model College for Boys F-8/4, stated dejectedly.
There are around 20 model colleges and 11 federal government colleges in ICT and due to the ban on recruitment new teachers have not been inducted in the colleges system.
Meanwhile, CADD Minister for State Barrister Usman Ibrahim was updated about the latest status and exact number of new teachers in model colleges at the division’s offices. He was informed that as many as 643 permanent lecturers and junior lady teachers were needed by the colleges.
Federal Directorate of Education (FDE) is planning to come up with a mechanism that aims to include daily wagers in the exiting system and hire the remaining teachers through the Federal Public Service Commission.
A group of aggrieved teachers from model colleges also met the minister in this regard, who assured them that their salaries would be paid and they would be given their due positions.
Another teacher, Ihsan Sikandari, from a boys model college, stated there were 85 daily wage lecturers in the institution.
These teachers, who are paid by the number of classes they take, earlier, taught in two shifts to earn an approximate amount of Rs20,000 per month. As per the new instructions of CADD, however, the evening shifts from colleges have been cancelled and students from colleges with less strength are to be shifted to other colleges.
Central Academic Staff Association President Rashid Khan told The Express Tribune that the matter regarding the salaries is pressing with Eid just round the corner.
Besides, there are 512 members in the supporting staff at colleges who too have to be paid as their salaries are pending for four months.
Director Model Colleges Saidur Rehman, FDE acting DG and additional secretary Qaiser Majeed and FDE Director Administration and Finance Gulam Hussain Sohoo could not be reached despite several attempts.
Published in The Express Tribune, October 3rd, 2014.
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