KARACHI Jan 31: A 15-member delegation of the Sindh Professors and Lecturers’ Association (SPLA) on Friday met acting-secretary education Ayub Sheikh and additional secretary education Karim Bakhsh Brohi to discuss the issues faced by the teachers’ community.

The meeting was held on the directives of Chief Secretary K.B. Rind.

The meeting discussed various matters, including raids on colleges by the education department officials, irresponsible attitude of EDO (education), Sukkur; holding of information technology exams, alleged corruption in the education department and the matters already taken up by the chief secretary.

According to an SPLA statement, the meeting decided that steps would be taken to make Information Technology as an optional subject in colleges, teachers would be appointed in 14 new colleges of Sindh and more than 1,000 lecturers’ vacancies would be filled soon.

The Sindh Teachers’ Foundation, the College Teachers’ Academy and colleges of education would be separated from the Bureau of Curriculum and their previous status would be restored, contracts of retired teachers would be terminated and in-service teachers would be posted in their places.

The directorates of colleges would be restored, recommendations for increase in salaries and allowances and restoration of house rent — frozen since 1994 — would be forwarded to the federal government and strict strategy would be taken to eliminate political interference in educational institutions.—PPI