LAHORE: A special ministerial committee on Tuesday recommended regularisation of services of 14,055 contract school teachers across Punjab.
Punjab Chief Minister Parvez Elahi had constituted a ministerial committee last week to hold negotiations with representatives of the Secondary School Educators Regularisation Movement (SSERM) holding protests for making their jobs permanent.
The SSERM along with thousands of school teachers were holding a sit-in outside former prime minister Imran Khan’s Zaman Park residence. The teachers ended their week-long protest on Sunday after getting assurance of regularisation of their services.
Punjab Physical Education Teachers Association (PPETA), Punjab Teachers’ Union (PTU) and Punjab Government Schools Association of Computer Teachers (PGSACT) representatives also participated in the protest. The teachers had not been regularised since 2014.
The committee, led by Minister for Parliamentary Affairs, Environment Protection and Cooperatives Basharat Raja, held its first meeting on Tuesday. Punjab Minister for Higher Education Raja Yasir Humayun Sarfraz, Minister for Schools Education Murad Raas, SSERM President Chaudhry Sarfraz, convener Muhammad Imran and General Secretary Rana Liaqat Ali were also present.
The committee has approved recommendations to regularise services of 14,055 contract teachers across Punjab. These teachers included secondary school educators (SSEs) and assistant education officers (AEOs).
Basharat Raja said the recommendations of the committee would also be sent to Chief Minister Parvez Elahi and the cabinet for approval.
He said the SSEs and AEOs were exempted from taking the Punjab Public Service Commission examination for regularisation.
Mr Raas said these teachers had been on a contract for the last 10 years and they were regularised. “Met with the teachers for the meeting regarding regularisation. Minister Raja Basharat and Minister Raja Yasir Humayun were also part of the Committee made by CM Punjab Mr Parvez Elahi. Everything is finalized. InshAllah in the next Cabinet meeting issue should be resolved,” he tweeted.
Mr Sarfraz said the government had recognised the services of contract teachers and decided to regularise them.
On this occasion, the SSERM representatives thanked CM Mr Elahi and other members of the committee.
Later, the representatives of the organisation met Muhammad Basharat Raja at his office and presented him with a bouquet.
Published in Dawn, January 4th, 2023