GILGIT, May 7: Over 200 male and female teachers serving in Aga Khan Diamond Jubilee Schools on Saturday staged a sit-in here to demand fulfillment of their longstanding demand of raise in salary. The sit-in was organised in front of Professional Development Centre Network (PDCN) offices.

The protesters were chanting slogans against Khadija Khan, General Manager of the Aga Khan Education Service Pakistan (AKESP) for ignoring their just demands.

Governor, Gilgit-Baltistan, Syed Pir Karam Ali Shah, visited the protesters and assured them that the higher ups of the Aga Khan Education Service would be approached for fulfillment of their just demands, but the protesters didn't believe him. Heavy contingent of police were also deployed to meet any eventualityTalking to Dawn, the female teachers accused the general manager of AKESP of nepotism and favoritism. The teachers also accused the governor of harassing them for staging protest for their demands.

“The governor has sent his children abroad for education at the cost of government expenses and preaches us to be content with what we have”, retorted a female teacher.

The protesters also accused the media of favouring management of the AKESP and said it was highly pathetic that the agonies of those affiliated with a holy profession were going unnoticed by the media. The general manager AKESP was unavailable for comments as her cell phone was switched off while land lines were not responding.

IT TRAINING:

The government of Gilgit-Baltistan is exploring ways to market the products prepared by the women of this mountainous region, and impart training to them in information technology so that their products could also attract international markets.