19 February 2004	Thursday	27 Zilhaj 1424

KARACHI, Feb 18: Sindh Education Minister Irfanullah Marwat, on Wednesday, urged teachers' bodies and associations to raise genuine problems confronting teachers' community like promotions, seniority , condition of educational institutions and provision of facilities instead of demanding undue favours.

The minister said, "Due to class-based system, some children are acquiring quality education while the poor and destitute of our society are compelled to send their children to public schools. The government teachers should perform their responsibilities with dedication and impart quality education at schools," he added.

These views were expressed by Irfanullah Marwat while talking to a delegation of the Primary Teachers' Alliance, which demanded restoration of teachers' quota in jobs at education department.

Mr Marwat said no teachers' association or body would have any quota in jobs at educational institutions throughout the province. He deplored that in the past, hundreds of incompetent persons were employed in the education department, who ruined the whole educational system.

"Sindh was unfortunate in the respect that jobs were distributed among incompetent persons under various quotas at the education department. The incompetent people did nothing for betterment of education in the province," he remarked.

Instead of struggling for quotas to get jobs for their children, he said, teachers should impart quality education to them besides other students so that they could compete on merit and get employment.

The minister said that steps were being taken to impose policy of merit, recruit competent and qualified staff at educational institutions and provide quality education to children.

He urged them to raise genuine issues confronting teachers' community instead of demanding illegal and immoral favours. "You should talk about issues like promotions, seniority, conditions at educational institutions and provision of facilities to students instead of demanding undue favours. We will uphold merit and if you have any objection to it, challenge the decision in courts," he said.

He said that 150,000 application forms for recruitment in education department had been provided to the banks, 200,000 more forms would be sent within a few days. The date for applying for jobs would also be extended, he added. - PPI