Employment and eligibility: ‘Science students have taken our jobs’

Education Dept does not advertise all posts for physical education, say PE majors

FAISALABAD: Scores of physical education graduates on Wednesday staged a protest demonstration against the Education Department and the district administration for not advertising vacancies for physical educators and recruiting science graduates against these posts.

The protesters, including a large number of women, gathered outside the DCO’s Office and shouted slogans against the Education Department and the district administration.

Some of them climbed atop traffic signals nearby and shouted slogans.

Talking to newsmen, Abdul Basit, one of protesters, said that the Education Department had promised PE graduates in a meeting that they would be recruited on the seats for physical educators.

He said however, the department’s promise was not honoured during the recruitment process.

He said that the Education Department had not advertised all the vacancies for physical educators at public schools and colleges.

“A few seats were advertised for us but the rest were reserved for science graduates,” he said.

“If science graduates are recruited on posts for physical educators, we will never get any jobs,” said Saima Lateef, another protester.

The protesters blocked University Road and suspended traffic for several hours.

On being informed, Muhammad Nadeem, a representative of the district coordination office, met with the protesters and assured them that their concerns would be taken up by senior officials and resolved amicably.

The protesters then dispersed peacefully, threatening to return if their demands were not met.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 29^th, 2015.