LAKKI MARWAT, April 10: The Lakki Marwat chapter of the All Teachers Association on Tuesday demanded that the primary teachers appointed on contracts be awarded BPS-9.

At a meeting held on Tuesday, the teachers pointed out that on the one hand the provincial government had given BPS-14 and BPS-15 to Arabic and theology teachers but on the other hand contract teachers had been given a low status even though they had higher qualifications.

They said: “Teachers are the backbone of society and they can play a vital role in the character building of students besides imparting quality education to them.” They added that teachers could only work devotedly if they were accorded due respect.