July 20, 2002	Saturday	Jamadi-ul-Awwal 9, 1423

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HARIPUR, July 19: About 236 primary teachers of the district have been placed in the surplus pool owing to the rationalization scheme introduced by the NWFP government in the education department, official sources said.

Under the scheme, all the district executive officers were told to send report to the provincial high-ups on the staff strength.

The scheme, applicable to male teachers only, is aimed at reducing financial burden of extra staff strength and achieving desired standard of education.

The EDO of Haripur compiled a list of 236 teachers and sent it to the provincial headquarters of education department.

The department, following consent from the governor, approved the abolition of theses seats, rendering all these teachers surplus. However, the surplus staff list sent by the EDO to the DCO in June showed the surplus staff as only 27.

Criticizing the move, the Teachers Association termed the department’s decision unjust and uncalled-for. It said the association would safeguard the rights of the affected teachers at all costs and would not allow the department to lay off such a majority of teachers.

The district executive officer, Anjuman Ara, said that none of the teachers from the surplus pool was being sacked. She said that 135 of the surplus teachers would be accommodated to the Abbottabad district and added that the rest of 101 would remain in the surplus pool. But, she said, they would keep on drawing salaries from their present places of posting.