KARACHI, Nov 26: Amidst protest and demonstration by schoolteachers, the Sindh Education Department is firm to continue the qualifying test for teachers seeking additional increments on the basis of Bachelor or Masters’ degrees in Education.

The Additional Secretary (Academics), Prof Rais Alvi, told Dawnon Monday that the education department had decided to continue the qualifying test for teachers for award of additional increments. First test was held at four centres in the province on Sunday, while similar tests would be conducted after every three months in order to enable the left-over cases or other schoolteachers who would be passing the BEd or MEd examinations, he added.

When the first test of the series was conducted on Sunday in Karachi, Hyderabad, Larkana and Sukkur, the schoolteachers held protest demonstrations outside the examination centres throughout the province against the decision of the education department. The department could conduct examinations of the willing teachers somehow at four centres, while the test at Mirpurkhas centre could not be conducted at all.

The teachers are of the view that the introduction of the test is not in line with the norms and practices followed by the government for the promotion or award of increment in other departments. A number of teachers boycotted the test in Karachi, Hyderabad, Larkana and Sukkur, with a view that the test was not only insulting for them but was also tantamount to undermining the worth of degrees.

According to official sources, about 500 teachers had applied for advance increment on the basis of their qualifications, who in contrary to the past practices, were asked to appear in a written test and qualify for the increment.

The system of giving advance increment to teachers on the basis of their BEd/MEd qualifications was introduced some three years back, added the source.

Insiders pointed out that the introduction of the test system was aimed at reducing the financial burden of the government, which has to pay a sizable amount in the shape of additional increments. The teachers were also not proving up to the mark and many of them were reportedly involved in getting additional increments through submission of fake certificates, the sources added.

They said only 50 per cent of the applicants appeared in the examinations at four centres. The turn out of candidates remained as follows: Karachi 19 BEd and four MEd; Hyderabad 108 BEd and 17 MEd; Sukkur 87 BEd and 12 MEd, and Larkana five BEd and eight MEd.

In all, 52 candidates having MEd degrees and 135 with BEd degrees were registered in Mirpurkhas, but they could not appear due to boycott and hooliganism at the centre.

The paper comprised multiple choice questions in Mathematics, English, Education, Pakistan Studies and General knowledge.

Prof Alvi said the answer scripts were being assessed and final list of the qualified candidates for the grant of advance increment would be released on Nov 28.