29 February 2004	Sunday	08 Muharram 1425

HYDERABAD, Feb 28: The Government Secondary Teachers Association, Sindh, has decided to boycott class IX and X examinations in protest against non-restoration of teachers' children employment quota and the government's refusal to hold talks with the association on its charter of demands.

This decision was taken at a meeting of the GSTA action committee held here on Friday under the chairmanship of its president Abdul Ghani Kumbhar. Presidents and general-secretaries of interior Sindh districts attended the meeting.

Action committees were constituted for each district to enforce the decision.

It was also decided to hold another meeting of the GSTA action committee on March 6 to chalk out a future course of action.

The meeting observed that the GSTA had given the deadline of Feb 26 to resolve longstanding problems of secondary teachers but the Sindh government had taken no practical steps in this regard.

The association leaders lashed out at the Sindh education minister for his adamant attitude which they said had forced the teachers to boycott the examinations.

Meanwhile, the government accepted one of the demands of the secondary teachers to allow three advance increments to teachers who had acquired B.Ed qualifications during study leave or any kind of leave with effect from Dec 19, 1983, without payment of arrears on this score prior to Dec 5, 2002.

A letter FD(SR.I)-3(40)/2003, dated Feb 27, addressed to the secretary for education and the literacy department by the Sindh finance and cooperation department, a copy of which was obtained by Dawn, stated that this benefit was only for the purpose of pay fixation in view of the undertaking given by the GSTA on behalf of the teachers concerned. The condition of double benefit imposed vide para 4(C) in a letter FD(SR,VI)1-64/2000 dated Sept 11, 2002, was withdrawn, it further stated.

SPLA: The Sindh Professors and Lecturers Association held a protest general body meeting here on Saturday against non-acceptance of college teachers' demands.

Teachers of 28 colleges attended the meeting that was presided over by Hyderabad SPLA president Prof Mobinur Rehman.

Speaking on the occasion, Prof Rehman, Prof Sher Khan Selaro, Prof Anwar Saghar Kandhro, Mehar Sultana and other teachers deplored the non-acceptance of their demands.

They said appointment of college teachers on contract basis was tantamount to murder of merit, demanding that teachers should be appointed through the Sindh Public Service Commission and they should be given promotions under the 'four-tier' formula.

They said the teachers had not been given promotions for the last 15 years. They said under the 'four-tier' formula, 907 teachers were entitled to promotions.

They said move-over cases had also been pending with the government since long.

The SPLA leaders demanded that house rent of teachers which had not been raised since 1994 should be increased and 1,000 vacant posts of college teachers should be filled through the SPSC.

Later, the teachers also held a protest demonstration outside the Muslim College.