ISLAMABAD, Sept 11: The cadre of primary teachers will be upgraded from basic payscale 9 to 14 in the Islamabad Capital Territory.
This was decided by Minister for Education Lt-Gen (retired) Javed Ashraf Qazi at a briefing by the Federal Directorate of Education, says a press release issued on Friday.
The minister said the basic salary of primary teachers would be raised in a move to accord them special status viz-a-viz their counterparts in the civil service.
He vowed to restore the previous status and dignity of the teachers community during his tenure. He also decided that in future all appointments of primary teachers would start from basic payscale 14 with the minimum educational eligibility of higher secondary certificate.
Mr Qazi directed the FDE director-general to uphold merit in appointments, admissions, postings and transfers. He said the country had already suffered a lot due to extreme political interference in the education sector. He appreciated the current merit policy of his predecessor and urged for its implementation in letter and spirit.
He also announced to upgrade all federal government schools and colleges of the ICT to the status of model schools and colleges.
He announced that the services of all ad hoc teachers working in the evening shifts in the ICT educational institutions would soon be regularized and he would personally submit the case to the competent authority.
He maintained that soon the approval for free education till matric would be sought from the quarters concerned and the bill to regulate private schools would be tabled for legislation.
He expressed his displeasure over the performance of private schools for not providing sports and other recreational facilities to students. He said uniform and affordable fee structure would be the salient feature of the Private School Regulatory Bill.
Briefing the minister, Brig (retired) Maqsoodul Hasan said a total of 397 educational institutions with 14 professional institutions were working in the ICT at different levels, enrolling 85,509 boys and 87,187 girls.
He said the FDE was the biggest field establishment of the twin cities catering the educational and employment needs of about 172,696 students and 10,000 teaching and non-teaching staff. Š He told the minister that new secondary schools in sector G- 11/1 and 2 would soon be functional incurring a cost of Rs43.565 million. An amount of Rs43.565 million had been incurred on the establishment of schools in sector I-8/3 and 4. He maintained that Rs59.959 million were utilized for establishment of computer labs in 35 schools and colleges and Rs39.890 million were incurred on the establishment of 25 computer labs in the schools.