HYDERABAD, March 11: The Government Secondary Teachers' Association continued to boycott the secondary school certificate (class 9 and 10) examinations and its members held rallies all over Sindh on Thursday.
However, it was learnt that district administrations and the education department managed to hold examinations by calling in non-teaching staff, retired teachers and teachers of the private educational institutions.
In Hyderabad, the GSTA brought out a procession, which terminated at the local press club. Protesters were raising slogans against the Sindh education minister and criticizing the supervision of examinations by non- teaching staff.
PRESS CONFERENCE: Office bearers of the GSTA, Matli chapter of the Badin district, criticized the publication of a news item in a section of the press in which it was alleged that teachers had desecrated the national flag, saying it was published at the behest of police.
They said that like all patriotic people, teachers loved and respected the country's flag. Accusing the police of conspiring against them, they said that the Matli police had misbehaved with women teachers as well as students of the Matli Girls High School.
Teachers said police had levelled false allegations against them to hide their own disgraceful behaviour. They called for a judicial inquiry into these allegations and threatened that teachers would consider taking what they termed extreme steps, including laying a siege of the Matli police station, if immediate action was not taken against policemen, who had levelled these false allegations.
Those, who spoke at the news conference, included the association's Badin district general secretary Mohammad Hayat Nizamani, president of the Matli unit-I Noor Mohammad Khatri, president of the association's Matli unit-II Abdul Ghaffar Kashmiri and vice-president of the Matli taluka chapter Mohammad Idrees Samo.
Meanwhile, the Mehran Elementary and Secondary Teachers and Primary Teachers staged a token hunger strike outside the local press club to press for the acceptance of their demands.
KHAIRPUR: The Khairpur chapter of the GSTA continued its protest here for the fourth consecutive day with the teachers boycotting their examination duties.
It was learnt that the lower staff of schools conducted examinations in Sobhodero, Ranipur, Thari Mirwah and in other parts of the district. Local students also staged a demonstration to express solidarity with the protesting teachers. Meanwhile, MNA Manzoor Wassan visited the token hunger strike camp, organised by Primary Teachers Association at the Chatti Chowk here on Thursday.
NAWABSHAH: The local chapter of the GSTA continued the boycott of the board examinations here on Thursday.
Meanwhile, dozens of primary teachers continued their token hunger strike for the fourth consecutive day near the local press club to press the government for the acceptance of their demands here on Thursday. The token strike is being led by president of the PTA Kamaluddin Channa.
SHIKARPUR: Members of the All-Sindh Primary Teachers Association and the Mehran Elementary and Secondary Teachers Association continued their token hunger strike for the fourth and third consecutive day, respectively on Thursday.
Earlier, teachers took out a rally and staged a demonstration outside the EDO's office where they shouted "Go Marwat, go" besides torching an effigy of the education minister. Teachers also boycotted their classes.
Meanwhile, an emergent meeting of the GSTA's Shikarpur district chapter was held to finalize its protest strategy here on Thursday. Participants of the meeting decided to boycott the Larkana board's annual secondary school certificate examinations (class 9 and 10) to be held from Friday in the Shikarpur district.
BADIN: Secondary school teachers continued their boycott of examinations of the Hyderabad secondary board for the third consecutive day on Thursday. Processions were also taken out in various towns.
In Talhar, Qayoom Chang and in Tando Ghulam Ali, Hayat Nizamani led the rallies. In Badin, several dozen teachers, led by GSTA representatives Allah Dino Mallah, Hameeda Khaskheli, Mohammad Ramzan Mandhro, took out a procession besides observing an hour-long sit-in on the Shah Latif Road.
Protestors were raising slogans against the provincial education minister and the local police. Speakers on the occasion condemned the Badin police for confining them to a room besides criticizing them for resorting to baton-charge on teachers, who were holding a peaceful protest demonstration.
They said that three of their colleagues were injured on Wednesday, while the students were also boycotting the examinations to register their protest against the police.
Meanwhile, the Matli police have registered a criminal case against 25 persons, including teachers, students and clerks and arrested Khalid Bahranik, senior vice-president of the All-Pakistan Clerks' Association, Hayat Nizamani of the GSTA, Sikandar Leghari and some students.
