Thousands of teachers went to the B.Ed College, Sukkur, where the tests for granting advance increment on the basis of qualification of B.Ed. and M.Ed. were being held.
They boycotted the tests and staged a sit-in on the Sukkur-Shikarpur road. They pelted stones and raised slogans against the Sindh Education Department.
Law enforcment agency personnel arrived there and asked the teachers to end their protest and appear in the test as per policy of the Sindh Education Department.
Soon a scuffle started between the teachers and the law enforcment agency personnel as a result of which several GSTA leaders including Syed Subhan Shah (President, GSTA), Wali M. Shah, Shabbir Tareen, Khuda Bux Ansari, and Shahzad Abbasi were injured.
The teachers condemned the brutal action of the law enforcment agency personnel and demanded of the government of Sindh to hold an inquiry into the incident and also to withdraw the notification of the test prior to grant of qualification advance increments to the teachers.
Later, Brig Abdul Latif, In charge, Army Monitoring Team, Education, assured the teachers that justice would be provided to them. The teachers on hearing this ended their protest.
Meanwhile, official sources claimed that the test of advance increments of B.Ed and M.Ed were held at the Government College of Education, Sukkur, and the Pilot High School, Larkana, under the supervision of the Army Monitoring Team, Sukkur and Larkana divisions. However, the majority of the teachers walked out from the examination hall in protest.
Our Dadu Correspondent adds: A large number of government school teachers of Sehwan Sharif Taluka on Sunday staged a demonstration in front of the press club to protest against the proposed test for their increments.
The demonstrators carrying banners and placards were led by the Taluka president, GSTA, Sehwan Sharif, A. Dino. They also staged demonstrations in Mehar, Khairpur Nathan Shah, and Johi to protest against the test.
Our Mirpurkhas Correspondent adds: Over 300 teachers including female ones and lower staff of the Education Department, Mirpurkhas division, staged protest demonstration and boycotted the test for awarding increments to B.Ed/M.Ed teachers on Sunday.
Carrying banners and placards, they raised slogans against the decision of the Sindh government for conducting the test.
Leaders of the Primary Teachers Association — Shaheen Akhtar Sangera, Arif Keerio and Iqbal Panhwar — while addressing the demonstrators said that the boycott of the test would continue.
Later, they marched through the main road and reached the press club Mirpurkhas where they blocked the Hyderabad road for some time.
Police personnel kept an eye on the protesters to avert any untoward incident.
Our Naushahro Feroze Correspondent adds: Hundreds of teachers belonging to the Primary Teachers Association on Sunday boycotted the test proposed for their increments and held a demonstration opposite the main primary school, Naushahro Feroze.