- Protesting teachers demand permanent pay scales, end to all non-teaching assignments
- Several teachers claim they have not been promoted despite sufficient work experience and educational qualifications
The sit-in protest at Charing Cross Chowk by teachers from across the province continued on the second day on Saturday as the government dug its heels over accepting the teachers’ demand that Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif should himself come to the spot and negotiate with them.
The protest has been organised by several outfits including the Muttahida Mahaz Asataza (MMA), Punjab Teachers Union (PTU) and Punjab Educators Association (PEA).
Talking to Pakistan Today at the sit-in venue, MMA President Tariq Mehmood said that the teachers had come out on the roads in a bid to “save” the education system.
“We are demanding a permanent pay scale, end of ad-hocism, restoration of teacher-son quota and an end to discriminatory attitude of senior education officials,” he said, lamenting that the government had repeatedly forced teachers to participate in election duties, dengue surveillance campaigns and vaccination of polio drops even though their primary duty was to impart education. “The government must end all non-teaching activities assigned to teachers,” he said, adding that they had refused to hold any negotiation with the secretary schools or any other official except the Punjab CM.
PEA Gujranwala General Secretary Anwar Hashmi said that he had been serving the education department for the last 13 years but had not been promoted even once.
“I have two Masters degrees – an MA and M.Ed – yet I have been forced to keep working in BPS-9. Is this how the government treats its educators,” he said, adding that more than 50 teachers were accompanying him from Gujranwala to fight for their due right.
Muhammad Abubakar, a teacher in Grade 14 from Faisalabad, said that he also had two Masters degrees and was preparing for a third one yet he has been bypassed for promotion for five years.
“I have spent a night on the road for my rights…I’m willing to stay here until the government realises that our demands are justified,” he said. The teacher was particularly critical of bureaucracy, who he believed were unaware of the changing trends in education.
Another double Masters, Intikhab, told Pakistan Today that he teaches at a Rawalpindi school. “I’m serving in BPS-9 for the last 11 years and getting paid only Rs 19,000 per month. I have three children and am barely able to meet my family’s needs. How does the government expect us to deliver quality education in such circumstances?”
The teachers’ protest campaign began last month, in April, after a senior headmaster named Tariq Mehmood was relieved from duty by the government.
The protesting teachers were visited by several politicians including Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Opposition Leader in the Punjab Assembly Mian Mahmoodur Rasheed. Rasheed had spent Friday night on the Mall Road with the protesters.
Pakistan Today learnt that all teachers have contributed equally for the protest arrangements, which includes a truck-mounted stage and a DJ system to entertain the participants. Traffic meanwhile remain disrupted all day long as police barricaded the roads leading towards Charing Cross Chowk. Lahore DIG Operations Dr Haider Ashraf attempted to convince the protesters to vacate the area but his appeals went in vain as the teachers’ refused to move until they had a meeting with the chief minister.