FAISALABAD, Jan 18: The Punjab Teachers Union and the Senior Staff Association have termed the education policy of the government harmful for students and the teaching community.

Speaking at a news conference here on Sunday, PTU president Rana Asghar Ali and SSA chief Hafiz Abdul Nasir said the government had failed to formulate a workable education policy.

They said the existing education system had become ineffective, but the government was singing a song of 'all is well' which could be dangerous for the future of the younger generation.

They said the syllabus from school to university level had been changed; the government-run educational institutions had been converted into 'industries' by setting up boards of governors and school councils, school buildings had been allotted to private parties without any rent for evening classes while the NGOs were minting money in the name of computerized and modern education which was unjustified.

They said union council Nazims were being appointed as school council heads which was an insult to the teaching community. How the matriculates could run the affairs of schools or monitor the performance of highly-qualified teachers through school councils, they asked.

They also criticized the government policy to reemploy retired teachers and appoint them on lucrative administrative seats of different colleges and universities.