June 02, 2007	Saturday	Jamadi-ul-Awwal 16, 1428

LAHORE, June 1: The police on Friday baton-charged schoolteachers, who tried to march towards the Governor’s House to stage a sit-in as a part of ongoing protest campaign to pressurise the government to accept their demands, including payment of teaching allowance and stopping denationalisation of educational institutions.

A large number of teachers from different parts of the province under the banner of Muttahida Mahaz Asataza had gathered on The Mall outside Masjid-i-Shuhada at 10am and started marching towards the Governor’s House. A heavy police contingent barricaded the road at Faisal Chowk.

The protesters, who were carrying banners and placards, chanted slogans against the government and started beating their chests. After a while, they clashed with the police, removed the hurdles and marched towards the Governor’s House, which was completely sealed by police force.

Besides minor scuffles and exchange of hot words, the police also baton-charged them and injured some eight teachers, including women. On reaching in front of the Governor’s House, they were joined by teams of teachers coming from cantonment area and Racecourse Road.

The protesters again raised slogans against the government, beat their chests and demanded payment of teaching allowance, stopping the process of denationalisation of educational institutions, regularisation of teachers appointed on contract basis, restarting of old academic session and increase in existing salary packages.

Teachers’ leaders Hafiz Abdul Nasir, Zarar Ahmad, Rashid Bhatti and others spoke on the occasion and offered dua. They criticised the government for not giving importance to their demands.

Later, they returned to Faisal Chowk and held protest demonstration. Their leaders vowed that they would continue their protest campaign unless government accepted their demands.

They also announced observing hunger strike in each district daily from June 6.

The teachers kept The Mall blocked for about four hours which caused traffic mess on almost every road of the city.

Later, a 21-member delegation of teachers’ leaders held a marathon meeting with a committee constituted by the Punjab chief secretary.

The teachers presented 25 demands and committee chairman Sohail Ahmad informed them about the government’s point of view

He said the Punjab government had requested federal government to provide funds for paying teaching allowance. The government would consider granting timescale promotions to the teachers. He directed the education department to provide data so that finance department could consider this case.

Regarding regularisation of contract employees, he said the new system had been introduced as the regular system of employment had failed. He clarified that this system had also been introduced in all other institutions. He proposed that contract employees could invest their 30 per cent additional allowance in insurance schemes for availing pension benefits.

The finance secretary welcomed the proposal of teachers that quality English schools be set up in the public sector. He assured them that the department was ready to consider removal of disparity between the conveyance allowance of teachers working in the rural and urban areas, provision of head teacher allowance and improving the role of teachers in the provision of missing facilities.

Mr Ahmad said the chief minister had directed all district nazims and DCOs to allocate separate budget for each school.

He said the government was also ready to consider the demand of changing academic session and the final decision would be taken after considering the reports of the committees set up in this regard.

Regarding attitude of monitoring officers, education secretary (schools) Zahid Saeed said the officers would be made duty bound to abide by the approved code of conduct of the department. Some of the officers had been removed from service due to their objectionable conduct.