IT is universally believed that education is the panacea to and pre-requisite for ills of any society. Balochistan, the largest province area-wise and one of the most resourceful, has been facing a lot of impediments on the path of education.

The paucity of schools, teachers, and resources in rural areas has increased frustration and depression and is breeding a sense of inferiority complex among the Baloch.

The recruitment of 5,000 teachers in the Aghaz-i-Huqooq-i-Balochistan package seemed to be a ray of hope for ameliorating the standard of education in the province.

But, unluckily, the teachers’ jobs have not been regularised to allow them to perform their duties in an efficient and effective way.

The teachers claim it is their fundamental right to get regularised but contrary to that the federal government has been continuously ignoring their demands for regularisation and job security.

The teachers have been striving hard for their due rights by meeting high officials and leaders, both provincial and federal, but none of them have taken any steps towards regularising their jobs.

The teachers have been on hunger strike and protest for many months in Quetta but the federal government has backed out of its promise to meet their demands. This problem is hanging like a sword of Damocles on the future education of Balochistan.

To end teachers’ demonstrations and create a sound educational environment in the province, it is time the federal government took steps to regularise the services of teachers, enabling them to open new horizons of educational developments where all and sundry get access to education.

MOHSIN MOOSA Panjgur