LARKANA, Nov 27: High school and primary school teachers on the call of the Sindh Employees Association (SEA) boycotted their classes throughout the district on Tuesday protesting against the arrest and beating of teachers in Hyderabad and Sukkur by the law enforcement agencies.
They held the government decision regarding teachers having to appear for a test prior to claiming increment on B.Ed and M.Ed basis uncalled for, and added it would further complicate the situation.
The association termed the step a calculated move for firing teachers and refusing increments in future.
Sources in the Education Department wanted to know if the teachers were eligible then why were they afraid to appear for the tests.
Meanwhile, the SEA announced to continue the boycott.
APCA: The clerical staff responding to the call of the All Pakistan Clerks Association (APCA) on Tuesday observed pen-down strike in all the offices connected with the executive district officer (Education), Larkana, pressing for the acceptance of their four-point charter of demands.
The strike brought the entire office work to a standstill in offices. Though the clerks attended their offices but they did not do any work.
The general secretary, APCA, Larkana District, M. Sharif Chachar, while talking to this correspondent said that his association had submitted a four-point charter of demands to the EDO (Education) demanding for clearing all promotions, moving over cases, selection grades along with maintaining a seniority list, and relocating the employees to their home districts. He said that those who were transferred to Shikarpur and Jacobabad from Larkana should be relocated immediately, and those transferred to Larkana from Shikarpur and Jacobabad should also be relocated.
He said that talks held between the EDO (Education) and APCA leaders to settle the issue had failed.
The EDO (Education), while talking to this correspondent on Tuesday, said that he was ready to accept three out of the four demands of the APCA and termed the pen-down strike illegal.
He supported the stay of certain education personnel in Larkana District who belonged to Shikarpur and Jacobabad districts.
He did not have the power to transfer them for it was the discretionary power of the government of Sindh to do so, the EDO (Education) said.