A full day strike, observed on Monday by model colleges’ daily wage-earners and contractual employees, disrupted the Federal Directorate of Education examinations. Students from class one to 8th were scheduled to sit for the exams but the employees of the majority institutions did not allow the FDE examination branch to conduct the examinations. The model colleges’ non-teaching staff has been demanding the FDE since the past 12 days, to regularise them in accordance with the Cabinet Committee’s decision. The Cabinet Committee issued directions last year to all the government departments to regularise the contractual and daily wage-earners. However, the FDE failed to comply with the committee’s directions. Hundreds of FDE educational institutions employees staged a demonstration at Parade Avenue for the 14th consecutive day.
The protesters carried placards and banners and chanted slogans in favour of their demands. Speaking on the occasion, Islamabad Model Colleges and Schools Employees Welfare Association General Secretary Saddaqat Abbasi said: “Many poor people have been working in model colleges on contract or for daily wages for the past many years. The authorities are paying no heed to regularising them. The FDE is paying only Rs 5000 to 6000 to these employees, which is against the labour policy.” The employees said they would continue their strike until the FDE issued notifications for their regularisation. When the FDE DG Atif Kiani was contacted, one of his staff memebers told Pakistan Today that the DG is meeting with the employees to persuade them to call off their strike. When asked about the next date for the exam, he said it was yet to be decided.
AIOU ex-VC expires: Dr WM Zaki, founder vice chancellor of Allama Iqbal Open University (AIOU), expired in Houston (USA) after protected l illness. According to a press release, Dr Zaki, being the first VC of the AIOU, had made tremendous contribution for establishing the university on a sound footing. In his condolence message, AIOU VC Prof Dr Nazir Ahmed Sangi lauded his role in making the university an ever-lasting and viable institution for promoting distance education in the country.
