KARAK: Village nazims and school students on Friday staged a protest sit-in outside the office of district education officer, Karak, against the shortage of staff in schools and alleged political interference in the education department. They set a week’s deadline for corrective measures, otherwise they would block the Indus Highway.

While addressing the protest sit-in, nazims Ijaz Qamar, Malik Faqeer, Ihsanul Haq and Saiful Islam said there was shortage of staff in the schools in Lakki Ghundaki and adjoining areas. They said the precious time of students was being wasted due to understaffed schools, adding they had brought the matter into the notice of the district education officer, but to no avail.

They alleged that political interference in the education department had paralysed functioning of the department. They said the transferred teachers were not taking charge in the new schools as they had patronage of some officials in the education department.

The nazims also threatened to lock the offices of the education department if their demands were not met within the deadline.

Later, acting district education officer Mehdi Shah assured the protesters that their genuine demands would be resolved, after which they dispersed peacefully.

Meanwhile, an inquiry has been initiated by the provincial government against the district education officer, Farzana Sardar, for making over 100 appointments in violation of the provincial government’s policy.

Sources in the education department told Dawn that principal of government higher secondary school, Lakki Marwat, Saleem Khan, had been appointed as inquiry officer with directions to submit his report to the provincial government within a month.

UPGRADATION DEMANDED: Tanzeem-i-Asataza, district Karak, has demanded upgradation of class-IV employees and issuance of timescale for them. They claimed that class-IV employees played a pivotal role in the institutions but their services had been ignored.

The demand was made at a meeting on Friday chaired by association’s district president Nek Badshah.

The meeting noted that class-IV employees had been ignored by successive governments in promotions. The participants demanded that they be given timescale on the basis of length of their service.

Published in Dawn September 24th, 2016