October 03, 2007	Wednesday	Ramazan 20, 1428

LARKANA, Oct 2: The Larkana circuit bench of Sindh High Court on Tuesday, allowing petition of Abdul Hameed Khokhar - a secondary teacher and others, ordered Secretary Education to include names of 12 secondary teachers and non-teaching staff in the list of those who had been re-appointed in February 2006 in five districts of Sindh.

Ahmed Ali Shaikh Advocate who pleaded the case said only 12 persons approached the court but the decision would benefit 450 affected people who were removed from the service on political grounds in 1998.

The Secretary Education Sabhago Khan Jatoi appeared in court on Tuesday. The division bench comprised of Mr Justice Amir Hani Muslim and Mr Justice A.R. Farooque Pirzado.

Petitioners took plea that they were politically victimized and removed from services in 1998. They were banking on letter issued in February 2006 by the Secretary Education in wake of the orders of Sindh Chief Minister, to the Executive District Officers (education) of five districts - Nawabshah, Mirpurkhas, Hyderabad, Sanghar and Mithi - asked them to restore services of retrenched teachers and non-teaching employees. Subsequently, the concerned EDOS’ (Education) restored their services. When the case came up for hearing on Tuesday, advocate took shelter in article 25 of the constitution that bans discrimination. The Division Bench observed that when others were reinstated why not petitioners and asked Secretary Education to restore the services of petitioners hailing from Mehar town of Dadu district. With this the petition was disposed off.

CLOSED SCHOOLS: The Secretary Education Sabagho Khan Jatoi in an undertaking before the Division Bench of Sindh High Court, Larkana Circuit on Tuesday said that within three months, 23 middle and primary schools lying closed in Union Council Mirpur (Qamba-Shahdadkot) would be made operational.

A petitioner Atta Muhammed Chandio, resident of ‘Kariyo Sabar’ village flied a petition in February 2006 that 23 schools in Union Council Mirpur were lying closed since long.

The petition came up for hearing on February 24, 2006 when the court ordered appointing teachers against 23 vacant seats within two months. But the petition kept on adjourning on the pretext of one or the other reasons till September 18, 2007 when court issued notices to Secretary Education as to why contempt proceedings should not be initiated against him for wilfully flouting orders of the court passed on February 24, 2006.

Again the matter was adjourned till October 2, when Secretary appeared in the court. He said that all the closed school (23 in number) would be made functional within three months.

PRINCIPAL: The same SHC bench, allowing a petition filed by advocate Ali Akbar Jagirani, asked the Secretary Education to post a 19 grade professor as principal of the Government Arts and Commerce College Larkana in place of grade-18 officer, Assistant Abdul Rasool Shaikh.

The petitioner took the stand that the Government Arts and Commerce College Larkana was an institution of repute possessing good track record of education standard and results with Prof Nazeer Shaikh as its principal. But the Secretary Education after removing him appointed Abdul Rasool Shaikh which had annoyed the teaching faculty to the extent that they refused to work under the supervision of Abdul Rasool Shaikh.

They held that if Abdul Rasool Shaikh continued it would caste negative impact on the education of college.

The SHC bench heard the petition and asked the secretary to appoint new principal of grade-19 of the college and disposed off the petition.