LAHORE: The Punjab Teachers Union (PTU) on Friday observed an ‘academic boycott’ across Punjab to resist alleged threats of transfers and suspensions by the Punjab School Education Department officials and monitoring officers.

The department’s additional secretary, Riaz Hussain, however denied there was any boycott of classes in the province. He said the department had issued a notification on Thursday and resolved teachers’ grievances. He said some teacher leaders were “doing politics”.

Schoolteachers are protesting against the department and government’s failure in implementing already finalised decisions, including regularisation of 40,000 contractual teachers.

PTU President Sajjad Akbar Kazmi said the union was not making a demand that would cause a financial burden on the government. World over, he said, class strength was not over 35 students but the government was now introducing 50-student classes from the already 40 students here.

Kazmi said the government department had also suspended teachers’ right of 25 casual and 12 privilege leaves, which was a violation of basic human rights. In the name of rationalisation, the PTU president alleged the department officials grossly violated Reallocation of Teaching Posts Policy. He said it was inhuman on the part of the department to transfer and post teachers to far-off locations without checking that many were either retiring in less than a year or seriously unwell.

The PTU also criticised some elements within their community, who they claimed were leaking to the department bureaucracy their plans for getting their demands accepted.

The PTU president demanded the chief minister take notice of the situation teachers were confronted with in the government department for amicable resolution of their problems.