June 06, 2008	Friday	Jamadi-us-Sani 01, 1429

NAUSHAHRO FEROZE, June 5: Over 200 youths, who have passed tests for the job of primary schoolteachers and received job offer letters, observed token hunger strike outside the press club here on Wednesday for the sixth day, demanding appointment letters.

Later, they took out a rally and after marching on different roads reached outside the office of the executive district officer of education at the DCO complex and staged a sit-in there.

They were carrying banners and demanding issuance of posting orders.

They said that after clearing tests, they also cleared interviews and were issued with offer letters in November 2007.

The DCO, Zulfiqar Ali Shah, assured the protesters that he would convey their demand to the authorities concerned.

The candidates also observed token hunger strike and took out rally in Kandiaro.

The EDO of education, Rasool Bux Shah, when contacted, told Dawn that the offer letters were issued with two conditions that they would submit their documents within 15 days of the date of offer order, and that the offer was subject to the removal of ban on recruitment.

The EDO said that neither the documents were submitted by the candidates within the stipulated time nor the ban on appointments was lifted therefore the offer letters were withdrawn.

The EDO further said that the Sindh government was considering holding afresh interviews and tests.—Correspondent