February 22, 2007	Thursday	Safar 4, 1428

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ISLAMABAD, Feb 21: Parents have decided to establish a students parents association in order to save the Overseas Pakistanis Foundation College for Girls, F-8/2, from slipping into further chaos.

The college has been witnessing unrest for the last three weeks because of the protesting contractual teachers who are demanding regularisation of their services. The Overseas Pakistanis Foundation (OPF) has asked them to apply as fresh candidates for renewal of their contracts.

The parents have already applied for registration of the students parents association (SPA).

“We have fulfilled all legal formalities and within the next couple of days we will get the association registered, on the basis of which we will be able raise the issue with the relevant authorities,” they said.

A letter has already been written to the OPF managing director and other authorities concerned in this regard, they said.

“We are paying heavy fees, therefore, we have every right to ask the college administration as to why it is not resolving the issue on priority basis. This issue is seriously affecting the studies of our children,” parents told Dawn.

It is worth mentioning here that in the recent past, the college has increased its fees by up to 40 per cent.

The parents claimed that during the ongoing disturbance, when they approached the principal, at first she refused to meet them, but when they insisted, she misbehaved with them.

They said if a forum like the SPA was established, they would be in a better position to get their grievances addressed.

Though the protesting teachers have resumed their duties, their tussle with the college administration is still continuing.

The teachers have obtained stay orders from the Lahore High Court, Rawalpindi bench, against the college administration till March 5. However, the administration is still forcing them to apply as fresh candidates.

“Every other day, our children complain about the absence of teachers and the unrest in the campus, which is no longer acceptable,” the parents said.

On the other hand, the college administration is using pressure tactics to divide its protesting contractual teachers. On Wednesday, two senior regular teachers of the college were issued warning letters because they spoke for the affected teachers with the principal.

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