ISLAMABAD: Not regularising teachers working as daily-wage earners for the last 10 to 14 years in the Federal Directorate of Education (FDE) is a criminal act, Senator Irfan Siddiqui said on Friday.

He was chairing the Senate Standing Committee on Federal Education and Professional Training that met at the Parliament House.

Regarding the appointment and posting of junior lady teachers in Islamabad model colleges, one of the teachers told the committee that they were appointed 10 to 14 years ago.

Now instead of regularising their services, the FDE has announced that the destiny of employees from BPS-1 to 15 will be decided by the cabinet and referred the cases of employees from BPS-16 and above to the Federal Public Service Commission (FPSC).

She said instead of regularising the daily-wage teachers, the government had recently announced the creation of 525 posts in different grades.

Senator Irfan Siddiqui expressed displeasure over the absence of the FDE director general in the meeting and observed that regularisation was the basic right of these teachers who had been in service from 10 to 15 years.

Irfan Siddiqui asks affected teachers to provide relevant documents to Senate commmittee

He termed the act of the FDE criminal and advised the affected teachers to provide all the relevant documents to the committee.

He directed the ministry to come up with a definite answer to the issue in the next meeting.

The chairman of the committee also directed that the secretary and the relevant minister must ensure their presence in the next meeting.

While discussing a point of public importance raised by Senator Bahramand Khan Tangi relating to the delay in examination faced by students of law in Bahauddin Zakariya University, Senator Siddiqui asked as to why the university did not conduct the examination despite clear recommendation from the committee in its previous meeting.

In reply, Mansoor Akbar Kundi, the vice chancellor of the university, stated that the Supreme Court in its last hearing had restricted the university from conducting the examination.

However, Senator Siddiqui maintained that there was nothing of this sort mentioned in the apex court’s November 25 order.

The committee recommended to the university to conduct the examination within a week and report back to the committee.

Furthermore, the committee deliberated on the Right to Free and Compulsory Education (Amendment) Bill 2022. Senator Fawzia Arshad, mover of the bill, stated that the bill aimed at making the subject of computer science compulsory for one to 12 classes.

Officials from the HEC told the committee that the subject had already been made mandatory by the government and it was also incorporated in the national curriculum.

Senator Siddiqui said there was no harm in passing the bill and it will provide further strength to the HEC in enhancing the scope of computer science in national curriculum. The committee deferred the deliberations on the bill till the next meeting.

Moreover, the committee also discussed the Al-Ala University Bill 2022 moved by Senator Sarfraz Bugti.

Dr Mukhtar Ahmed, the chairman of the HEC, informed the committee that no individual had submitted any feasibility report to the commission for the establishment of the university which was considered to be standard practice.

The chair directed the representatives of the university to complete all the procedural requirements and deferred the deliberation till the next meeting.

The meeting was attended by senators Prof Dr Mehr Taj Roghani, Fawzia Arshad, Mushtaq Ahmad Khan, Bahramand Khan Tangi, Sarfraz Ahmad Bugti and relevant officers.

Published in Dawn, December 17th, 2022