ISLAMABAD, Feb 20: The administration of Overseas Pakistanis Foundation (OPF) College, F-8/2, is employing pressure tactics to divide its contract teachers protesting for regularization of their services, Dawn has learnt.

The teachers have been granted stay by the Lahore High Court, Rawalpindi bench until March 5, but the administration is pressurizing them to apply as fresh candidates for the renewal of their contracts, the protesting teachers told this reporter.

The protesting teachers had a marathon meeting with the OPF high-ups last Friday but it remained inconclusive, as both the parties had stuck to their guns.

Over 100 teachers working on contract in the junior and senior sections of the prestigious college have been protesting for over three weeks against the college administration’s demand that they apply along with other fresh applicants for the renewal of their contracts.

The issue arose when the OPF some time back advertised vacancies for recruitment of junior and senior teachers at OPF Girls College, F-8/2, and asked its contractual teachers to apply as fresh candidates.

The principal, Dr Shaheena Khan, in collaboration with few trusted regular teachers is busy filling the application forms of the contract teachers by themselves and then calls them up one by one after school time asking them to sign their applications, otherwise, she would not be responsible for their reemployment, the protesting teachers claimed.

“Today, when we gathered to take notice of this new development, some of our colleagues who were called in by the principal to sign their applications started accusing each other of bowing to the college administration’s pressure and applying as fresh candidates. However, after the meeting, we came to know that it was the principal’s office which was setting us against each other,” the protesting teachers said.

“We have also come to know that some fake applications have also been submitted to the OPF office,” they said, adding, “We can move court against this forgery.” They said the principal was only interested in the renewal of her contract which was expiring in April this year, and to make her case strong she was resorting to the pressure tactics.

They said there was no point in negotiating with the OPF until it budged from its stand that contractual teachers had to apply again with fresh candidates. “Yes, there can be negotiations on the salary structure or length of new contracts, but as far as our basic demand of regularization of service is concerned there can be no compromise on it,” they said.

The OPF says it wants to streamline the service structure of the teachers who are currently working on short-term contracts. Despite repeated attempts, Dr Shaheena Khan could not be contacted for comments.