HYDERABAD, April 18: The minister for education, Sindh, Irfanullah Marwat, has assured the All Sindh Teachers Association (ASTA) that the problems confronting the teachers of Sindh would be resolved on a priority basis and promotion and selection grade cases would be decided after the next meeting of the Department Promotion Committee.

This assurance was given to a 12-member delegation of the ASTA at a meeting convened by Mr Marwat at Karachi on Thursday.

The meeting, which was also attended by the deputy secretaries of education, Abdul Wahab Abbasi and Zakir Ahmed, discussed in detail the charter of demands submitted by the ASTA.

A spokesman of the ASTA, Qazi Aminuddin, told Dawn that the minister also assured the teachers delegation that the vacant posts of teachers would be filled during the current year and female staff would be posted at the educational offices to resolve the problems of female teachers.

Mr Marwat further said that 191 female teachers had been reinstated and the EDO (education), Hyderabad, has already been given instructions in this regard.

The other decisions announced by the education minister, according to the spokesman included the cancellation of transfer orders of teachers made under the re-deployment policy, promotion of Urdu language teachers to grade 16 and 17 on the pattern of Sindhi language teachers, grant of additional increment to BEd and MEd teachers, uniformity in the allowances of teachers working in rural and urban areas, and the determination of seniority of science teachers from the date of their appointment.

The minister also called for proposals from the delegation to reactivate teachers’ foundation for the welfare of teachers.

He called upon the teachers to help increase the literacy rate and ensure the attendance of the teachers and the students in classrooms to save the educational system from total collapse.

CONVICTS: Sindh Home Minister Syed Sardar Ahmed has said that those convicts, who were languishing in jails for non-payment of fine imposed by trial courts, will be released on parole.