Say no to appeasement: Education secretary claims PPP leaders are pressurising him

Fazlullah makes allegations in response to a statement issued by leader of the opposition in the National Assembly

KARACHI:

Sindh education secretary Fazlullah Pechuho has alleged that politicians in the ruling Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) have started pressuring him to restore the ghost teachers who were suspended by him [Pechuho].

He made these allegations in response to a statement issued by the leader of the opposition in the National Assembly, Khursheed Shah, who had said that, "The standard of education is deteriorating with each passing day and an example of the quality of education can be gauged from the fact that the education secretary cannot even attend departmental meetings."

This statement led to a war of words between Shah and Pechuho, who happens to be the brother-in-law of PPP co-chairperson Asif Ali Zardari. "Shah Sahib is my elder brother. Some people are talking against me because I don't appease them by fulfilling their unjust demands," said Pechuho.

Read: Sindh CM balks at education secy's capitulation, rejects summary to reopen schools on Aug 3

The education secretary said that he had taken action against fake appointments and ghost teachers in the province but the minister and other influential people were pressurising him not to take such action. "I have stopped the culture of appeasement in my department, which is why some people have stood up against me," he said. "I have given a clear message to these influential people that I will not compromise on ghost teachers and fake appointments," the secretary said, adding that he has not deteriorated the standard of education but there are other factors behind it.

"The opposition leader was the education minister in 1988. I want to ask him if he appointed the teachers on merit," questioned the minister. "Can anyone tell me who has damaged the standard of the Sukkur Education Board and who are sitting on the key positions in the board?" he asked.

The education secretary said that his surprise visit to schools in various districts and strict action against teaching and non-teaching staff responsible for the declining standard of education in Sindh has irked people sitting in the power corridors in Sindh.  "I am ready to face the consequences but will not bow down before these influential people who have always treated the education secretary as their servant," he said. "I want to improve the standard of education in Sindh by taking every action on merit and until I am secretary, I will not take dictation from these people," he reiterated.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 7^th, 2015.