LAHORE, Oct 5: Punjab School Education Department Additional Secretary Mukhtar Ahmad Noul has said from now onwards no teacher will be asked to perform any duty other than teaching in classrooms.

Speaking at a Salaam Teachers Day ceremony organised by the Joint Action Committee of Teachers, Punjab and the Punjab Teachers Union at Alhamra Hall-II on Friday, he said no one could undermine the importance of teachers in a society. He said salaries of teachers must be raised to improve their social status.

PTU President Syed Sajjad Akbar Kazmi said the government must consult teachers before introducing initiatives in the education sector. He said the teachers were not only performing their academic duties but also made to perform additional duties. Still, he said, they were showing encouraging results in primary and middle standard examinations.

The speakers also demanded that the teachers should be given conveyance allowance in Punjab as is the case in other provinces. They demanded that the EST and SST teachers should be given BPS-16 and BPS-17, respectively, and the schools’ budget should be given to headmasters through the EDOs.

At the ceremony, more than 100 teachers were given awards for their outstanding performance in academics and struggle for teachers’ rights.

The JACT and the PTU awarded shields to honour the services of late journalists Hamid Javed, Moeen Ahmad and Shahid Rasheed.

technical training:  The Technology Upgradation and Skill Development Company (Tusdec) has entered into a contract with the European Union, seeking training of its 12,000 men and women from the vulnerable communities of KPK and Fata region.

A statement issued by Tusdec CEO Syed Anwar Ali Pervez said it would be the implementation organisation for the four-year programme seeking a sustainable technical training in the tribal regions of KPK and Fata.