Taking a stand: Teachers decry far-off election duty postings

Say they will be forced to travel long distances to reach their assigned polling stations.

HARIPUR: Teachers in Haripur have raised objections to the polling stations assigned to them in far-off areas and have threatened to boycott the local government elections if the list is not revised.

Haripur District Returning Officer Humayun Khan has assigned duties to teachers in far-off areas without considering the inconvenience they will have to face, Tanzeem Asatiza Haripur President Shahid Gohar told The Express Tribune. He said 80% of the teachers are displeased with the stations where they have been assigned.

Gohar added women and senior teachers who are near retirement have been posted in remote areas. The headmistress of Government Girls High School Beer has been given the charge for Galaee village in Sirikot union council. She will have to reach Galaee a day before the polling date since the place is at a considerable distance from her residence in Mankray union council.

Muttahida Mahaz-e-Asatza K-P President Abdul Manaf Khan also decried the decision about election duties. He said teachers are disciplined individuals who would follow the orders given to them but assigning duties far away from their areas is not under the election commission’s policies.

Manaf said teachers should be assigned duties within the jurisdiction of their union council or polling stations, but the DRO has posted them out of their provincial assembly constituency, ignoring the inconveniences they will have to go through during the travel.

He said a delegation of teachers met the DRO who assured them of changing the venue for some teachers on genuine grounds. However, the adjustments were not made due to which over 100 teachers could not attend the first day of election training.

Not unfair

When approached for comments, Additional Deputy Commissioner Ali Shehzad said the decision was made in accordance with the policies of ECP that suggest staff should not be posted in their own union councils where they could influence voters. He said revision would be considered for those teachers who have genuine issues travelling to their assigned stations.

However, he made it clear that being government employees, teachers are supposed to perform duties wherever they are wanted and performing election duties is part of their service.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 21^st, 2015.