DADU, June 26: Twenty-four junior teachers who were promoted to senior posts in the district’s education department on the recommendation of members of national and provincial assemblies of the Pakistan People’s Party have refused to leave charge even after receiving transfer orders from education secretary.

The officers, who stood transferred in strictly legal terms after the issuance of official notification, said on Thursday they would not leave the charge as the members of assemblies had assured them not to be bothered and continue to work on the same posts.

Executive District Officer of Education Shah Mohammad Gadhi admitted that the minister and secretary had ordered posting senior officers to senior posts but the juniors had refused to leave the charge.

Sources in the department said that one of the factors contributing to a sudden jump in the number of non-functioning schools to 700 in the district, from 400 under caretaker government and 300 under PML-Q government, was promotion and posting of junior school teachers to the education department.

Sindh Education Minister Pir Mazharul Haq took notice of the huge number of closed schools after taking oath of office and directed the secretary to order junior teachers to leave senior posts. A notification was issued in this regard on Wednesday.

According to the notification, the grage-19 officers, including Hamza Ali Panhwar (District Officer Elementary), Bilawal Khan Lund (District Officer Literacy), Maqsood Qureshi (District Officer Academic), Ghulam Nabi Qureshi (District Officer SEMIS and Planning), Sagheer Ahmed (District Officer Technical), Abdul Rahim Shah (District Officer Sports), Saeed Ahmed Solangi (Assistant District Officer Education, ADOE male), Ali Akbar Shaikh (ADOE Male Johi), Mohammad Siddique Jhatiyal (ADOE Khairpur Nathan Shah), Sardar Begum Mirani (ADOE Female Mehar), Sakina Ansari (ADOE Female Khairpur Nathan Shah), Sardar Begum Memon (ADOE Female Dadu), Noor Jehan Solangi (ADOE Female Johi) had been posted to senior posts of grade 18 and 19.

The list of junior teachers in grade 9 to 14 who had been promoted to senior posts and asked to leave charge included ADOE female Dadu, Yasmin Dawachh, sister of Imdad Dawachh, private additional secretary to education minister, Ghulam Nabi Panhwar, Imdad Ali Lashari, Ghulam Sarwar Panhwar, Ghulam Sarwar Soomro, Zulfiqar Gadhi, Sikandar Ali Magsi, Abdul Hakeem Jamali, Khadim Hussain Jamali, Mohammad Hashim Dero, Farzana Chandio, Mukhtiar Jokhio, Fateha Khatoon Panhwar and others.

Abdul Hakeem Jamali, ADOE male Dadu, who had also received transfer orders, said that MNA Rafique Jamali had assured him that transfer orders by the secretary and minister were just a formality, so he should continue to work on the same seat and not leave the charge.

DIED: A veteran PPP leader and former chairman of Dadu municipal committee, Jiandal Khan Memon, died of cardiac arrest on Thursday. He was 65.