UPPER DIR: Teachers on Friday protested a new policy framed by the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa elementary and secondary education department allowing them only one casual leave in a month.

A large number of teachers across the district participated in the demonstration which was held in front of DEO office.

All teachers coordination council, KP president Syed Mohammad Shah Bacha, the association’s Upper Dir president Syed Abdul Waris Jan, Tanzim-i-Asatiza district general secretary Bakhtiar Zamin and others led the protest.

On the occasion, Syed Bacha said they rejected the new rules as what he said the department’s secretary had no authority to frame such regulations.

Mr Bacha demanded inclusion of ad hoc relief into the basic pay and increment in salary in the upcoming budget. He also demanded restoration of teacher’s son quota.

The other speakers said teachers would demonstrate outside the Peshawar Press Club on May 19 and 20 against the new rules.

TIMERGARA: Teachers’ organisations on Saturday rejected the elementary and secondary education department’s decision of reducing the casual leaves of teachers and threatened to stage a sit-in outside the provincial assembly if the decision was not reversed.

A meeting in this regard was held at the government primary school, Timergara, chaired by provincial president of all teachers’ coordination council Syed Mohammad Shah.

The participants expressed anger and dissatisfaction over the decision, criticising the director of elementary and secondary education department, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, for issuing directives to all district education officers that teachers would have to avail only one casual leave in a month and that they would have to get prior permission from DEOs in case of more casual leaves. They termed the decision as violation of code of conduct and government servants’ rules.

The meeting decided that hundreds of teachers from Lower Dir would participate in the proposed protest rally at Peshawar on May 19 and 20.

KOHAT: The all teachers coordination council took out a rally and held a protest meeting outside the Kohat Press Club on Saturday against the government’s failure to resolve their problems.

The rally was taken out from the boys government school no 2 and ended at the press club where the teachers’ leaders, including chairman of all teachers coordination council Ghulam Rabbani, said the government should immediately take back the notification specifying only one casual leave a teacher could avail in a month.

The speakers demanded that the government should announce one-step upgradation, time-scale and departmental promotions to all cadres of teachers without delay.

Published in Dawn, May 15th, 2016