January 17, 2006	Tuesday	Zilhaj 16, 1426

KARACHI, Jan 16: An alliance of the government school teachers’ associations on Monday said that if the government did not accept its demands by Jan 30 it could boycott duties in the forthcoming SSC annual exams.

Speaking at a press conference at the Karachi Press Club, leaders of Heads and Teachers Welfare Associations Alliance (HTWAA), expressed dissatisfaction over certain developments related to them and unfolded a list of demands, threatening the government of launching a strong protest campaign, which would include boycott of educational boards’ examinations as well.

The leaders, Abdur Rahman and Anisur Rahman, chairman and general secretary of HTWAA respectively, said that the high-ups of the Sindh education department were paying no heed to the teachers’ longstanding problems, including delay in promotions of teachers belonging to school cadres in grades 20,19,18 and 17.

They said that the delay in the promotions was being made deliberately with a purpose to accommodate the handpicked or well-connected persons on higher posts, including those belonging to the district education department or educational boards in the province.

They claimed that the majority of the EDO (education) posts had been filled with college cadre teachers or other lower rank government officials, while deserving candidates belonging to school cadres were being badly neglected. They said that the government should take cognizance of the development and ensure transparency in regard to posting of officers as EDO’s.

According to them at least 23 posts of grade 20; 50 of grade 19; 170 of grade 18 and 70 per cent of grade 17 posts teachers pertaining to school cadre were lying vacant due to official apathy, while on the other hand the deserving ones, waiting for promotions, either died or retired from services.

The HTWAA office-bearers were of the view that the departmental promotion committee met 18 times but teachers of Karachi were not given due promotions.

The charter of demands of HTWAA called for removal of Sindh education minister, appointment of school cadre officials on the posts of EDO (education), immediate holding of DPC for BPS 17, 18, 19 and 20, stopping the process of giving extensions to retired teachers, reverting the officials inducted from outside school cadre or from other district and junior officers to their original place of posting and elimination of undue holidays from academic calendar.

The two leaders, flanked by a number of representatives coming from different teachers’ bodies, opined high-ups of the department concerned had been unable to run the educational affairs of the province skilfully and that was why confusions and chaos emerged every now and then both on the academic and administrative fronts.

They also criticized the education department for its decisions pertaining to vacations and changes in the schedule and pattern of examinations.