ISLAMABAD/LAHORE – The teachers working under Federal Directorate of Education (FDE) have decided to boycott the classes and examinations from today (Wednesday) for an indefinite period to protest against the authorities’ failure to implement the package announced by Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani.
The decision was made at a meeting of the teachers’ representative body on Tuesday at FG Boys School in Sector G/9. Azhar Awan, President Federal Government Teachers Association (FGTA), while talking to media men said, “From February 16, all teachers affiliated with the FDE would observe complete strike of classes for an indefinite period. We will only resume our duties when enhanced package would be given us.”
He feared that the matter would be binned once the Federal Education Ministry was devolved to the provinces.
According to the announced package, the teachers having matriculation certificates would be inducted in BPS-14 from BPS-9 and those with undergraduate qualification would be hired in BPS-16 instead of 14. On the other hand, the future of hundreds of trained graduate teachers teaching in the federal government schools all over the country is at stake as their three and a half years contract ended on Tuesday (February 15) and no decision has so far been taken about their status.
The teachers said though they were allowed to continue their duties till further orders but it was not enough to secure their future. These teachers were initially employed on two-year contract on August 15, 2007. Instead of regularising their services after two years as promised, they were given another one-year contract on August 15, 2009. They deserved regularisation of their jobs after three years of continuous service on August 15, 2010, in line with the policy of the government under a notification issued in October 2009.
But the authorities in the FDE in Rawalpindi, showing utter disregard for the future of these teachers, gave a six-month extension in contract which also expired. An official, seeking anonymity, told Pakistan Today that all the teachers were asked to appear in the exams held by the Federal Public Service Commission (FPSC) and the services of those who cleared the exams were regularised.
The affected teachers and their parents said the officials concerned had promised last year to regularise the teachers in Grade-17 or above. At the same time, a committee was formed to look into the case of trained teachers serving in Grade-16 to give them a permanent status. But no progress had been made yet. They said the teachers had also been deprived of a chance to appear in the FPSC exams.
They mentioned that the services of teachers up to Grade-15 were regularised last year while their colleagues in Grade-16 had been assured of similar action.
