SKARDU, Oct 29: The school teachers here staged a protest demonstration and sit-in in front of the Education Department offices demanding increase in their salary and regularization of service.

They complained that they are being paid little remuneration and discriminated against in regularizing their services for the last several years.

The protesters were holding banners and placards in their hands inscribed with slogans in favour of their demands.

Talking to journalist, the district president of Northern Area’s Community Schools Teachers Association, Haji Mirza Mehmood said, earlier the services of teachers serving in Nai Roshni Schools and Maktab Schools and several teachers working on contract basis were made regular without any test and interviews. But the teachers of Social Action Programme have been continuously ignored for the last several year, which is unjust.

“If the authorities did not address our demands, we would observe a protest demonstration again on November 10 in Gilgit on Northern Areas level”, he threatened.

A lady teacher Zahra Akbar said, the teachers of Social Action Programme have been serving for the last 12 years on a little salary of only Rs1200 per month and more over, few teachers are working only 400 rupees per month basis which is not only unfair but also a joke with a respectable profession like teacher.

The teachers of Community Schools demanded that their services be regularized and their.

Later, on the assurance of Northern Area’s Legislative council members, Wazir Willayat Ali Cap (retd) Sikandar Ali and district council chairman Raja Jalal Hussain, the protesters called off the protest.