KARACHI, Oct 8: Teaching in government educational institutions will remain suspended on Wednesday as school and college premises as well as teachers have been engaged for election duties.
Sources in the education department of the city government said about 35,000 teaching and non-teaching staff had been called for election preparations and polling on Oct 10. In addition to staff already listed, the unutilized staff have been asked to report at their respective offices or colleges as identified by the education department for any emergency duties on the polling day.
It was learnt that about 2,000 buildings of the government schools and colleges, including that of technical educations, had been selected for setting up polling stations. About 56 per cent of the polling stations have been planned at educational institutions buildings, while 65 per cent of the election staff would be from schools or colleges.
Talking to Dawn, EDO (education) Prof Mohammad Rais Alvi said in view of the involvement of college and school staff and occupation of educational premises it would not be possible to conduct teaching on Wednesday. He, however, pointed out that teaching and non-teaching staff had been asked to report for their duties as usual on Wednesday.
He said offices of the EDO and DOEs would remain open from 7am to 5pm on the election day to facilitate and coordinate in the election process.
A notification of the city government’s education department said in order to meet any emergency situation with respect to election duties, it had asked its unutilized teaching and non- teaching staff to ensure their presence at their offices on Oct 10.
All the teaching and non-teaching staff of the district, who have not been assigned election duties, so far, are required to report compulsorily at the offices of their respective district officer education on the election day.
Attendance of all such teachers and other officers would be recorded, while their services would be utilized in case of any emergency, said the notification issued by the EDO.
According to another communication, Mansoob Hussain Siddiqui, deputy district officer (academic and training), has been nominated as the focal person for direct coordination with returning officers and assistant returning officers.
The emergency centres have also been set up at different colleges where the unutilized staff would report at 7am and stay at least till 12 noon.
The emergency reporting centres in case of college teachers are: Allama Iqbal Govt College (girls section); Govt Degree Science and Commerce College, Landhi-Korangi; Govt Islamia Arts and Commerce College (No 1); Govt Aisha Bawany College (No-1); S. M. Govt Science College; Govt Jinnah College, Nazimabad; Govt College for Men, Nazimabad, and Govt Degree College, Stadium Road.
The centralized admission committee chairman Dr Mujeeb Feroz has said that the claim centres set up at the National College and the Khatoon-i-Pakistan College would remain closed for three days from Wednesday due to unavailability of teachers.
