Injustice of Sehat ka Insaf?: Schoolteacher being ‘victimised’ for refusing to take part

Claims DEO issued transfer orders despite director education asking her to stay put.

PESHAWAR:

As much as schoolteacher Nizakat Kalsoom may have wanted to participate in the Sehat ka Insaf vaccination campaign, fear of death convinced her otherwise. Now, the woman’s position is at stake as she has refused to join the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) government’s campaign.

In February, the K-P government launched the Sehat ka Insaf campaign in Peshawar and directed government women schoolteachers to help vaccinate children. However, many refused, saying they were receiving threatening letters and could not risk their lives.

They also met the chief secretary to express their fears and he assured them only male teachers would take part due to the prevailing security situation.

Speaking to The Express Tribune, Hayatabad No 3 Government Primary School headmistress and Female Teachers Association Provincial President, Nizakat Kalsoom, alleged that District Education Officer (DEO) Samina Ghani adopted a hostile stance towards her for refusing to participate.



She added according to the K-P government’s recent policy of merging schools, Government Primary School (GPS) No 3 was integrated with No 4. The institute that emerged was called GPS No 2. Kalsoom said she had been told the DEO planned on making Najma Shaheen the headmistress of GPS No 4.

Kalsoom then wrote a letter to director education in this regard and he responded by ordering her to remain at her current position. However, she alleged Ghani ignored the director’s instructions and replaced her with the aforementioned teacher.

Elaborating on the current status, she said the newly-appointed headmistress of the institute would remain in her position, while the DEO has ordered Kalsoom’s transfer to Badabera Paloseen Abad School.

The teacher said she refused to accept the transfer order as she has written instructions from the director education to stay put. However, Kalsoom added the DEO was now plotting and scheming against her.

She appealed to the K-P chief minister, education minister and other relevant authorities to take notice of the issue and save her from the hostile DEO. Kalsoom said the stressful circumstances were not allowing her to perform her duty.

When contacted, District Education Officer Samina Ghani said she had no personal conflict with Kalsoom and was following official orders. She said the K-P government has transferred 40 teachers to vacant posts across the district. Ghani said the policy clearly stated only widows could not be transferred from their current posts, while the rest would be adjusted.

She added Nizakat Kalsoom was junior to Najma Shaheen and had to be transferred to another school as per regulations. “I have no personal dispute and it is Kalsoom who is violating the rules,” she said.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 25^th, 2014.