May 5, 2005	Thursday	Rabi-ul-Awwal 25, 1426

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MULTAN, May 4: Lecturers appointed on a contract by the Punjab Education Department say they are bound to serve under tough conditions in far-off areas without having job security. They also point out disparity in the terms and conditions laid down three years ago for the job of lecturers on a contract as against those being offered recently for the same job by the education department.

A group of lecturers told Dawn on Wednesday that the monthly salary of those appointed on a contract through the Punjab Public Service Commission in the middle of 2002 was Rs6,210 plus an annual increment of Rs465 whereas the salary of those who were being offered the same job after the recently held PPSC exams was Rs10,000 a month in the district headquarters and Rs12,000 a month for the cities/towns other than the district headquarters. They also get an annual increment of 10 per cent of their salary.

They said in this way the lectures appointed nearly three years ago were getting a salary almost half of what was being offered to the latter despite seniority.

Similarly, the female lecturers appointed in 2002 were though entitled to obtain maternity leave of 90 days without pay while those recruited recently could take the same leave with full pay. There was no provision of study leave in the contract of lecturers recruited previously while the recently recruited lecturers could apply for the purpose but only when their contract of five years might be extended for another stint, they said.

However, the recently recruited lecturers could not have the right to seek regular appointment while the appointment letters of the previously recruited contract lecturers was silent on this subject. Taking advantage of omission of this condition, the senior lecturers had moved the court to get regular appointments.

According to the academics, their appointments were non-transferable and, thus, they had to serve on meagre salaries in the far-flung areas without any prospects of serving in their hometowns.

The heads of the institution overburdened them while the regular cadre did not share the onus brunt, complained the lecturers, who added that their performance had been attached to a host of conditions, including increase in the enrolment, decrease in the dropouts, quality of learning of the students, evaluation/assessment of the learning achievements of the students, punctuality and discipline. The number of casual leaves with pay in a year should not be exceeded from 25 days and a lecturer could obtain at once a leave of maximum 10 days in case of the previously recruited lecturers and six days in case of the recently recruited. The sick leave for the period of sickness was permitted, but without pay and any medical allowance.

Besides, they said, they were not entitled to be extended any relief whenever the government announced for its employees but deductions were definitely made from their salaries whenever the government levy a compulsory cut to raise funds for any cause as was done recently for tsunami victims.

They questioned how they could perform to the best of their abilities while being denied even the basics rights. They urged the government to revise terms and conditions of their jobs.

POLICE PERFORMANCE: The district police claimed on Tuesday to have busted seven inter-district gangs of dacoits and burglars.

Multan DPO Sikandar Hayat said at a press conference that Khaldi gang, Irfan gang and Razzaq Fauji gang were smashed by the Cantonment police circle, Ghaffar alias Toti gang by the Haram gate circle police and Abid Commando gang, Rafiq gang and Akbar Mahey gang by the Kotwali circle police.

The police had recovered booty worth hundreds of thousands of rupees. It included cars, motorcycles, cell phones and electronics.

Besides, a cache of arms and ammunition was also recovered from the gangsters.