World Teachers’ Day

[Lahore_Real_Estate]

Another day for teachers to zip the lip

By Mahtab Bashir

ISLAMABAD: With the multiple problems including regularization of teaching staff, demands of raise in salaries, non-release of funds for higher education scholars, non-availability of female teachers’ transportation system, delay in promotion of teachers on merit, and dual standards of curriculum in the country is widening the gap between the rich and the poor, the country is all set to celebrate ‘World Teachers’ Day’ today October 5.

On this day, which is supposed to enhance the respect and dignity of teachers in the society as ordained by our religious, social and cultural values, over 13000 teachers working under Federal Directorate of Education (FDE) and over 40,000 faculty members in Universities are nevertheless imparting knowledge within meager available resources.

World Teachers’ Day was launched by UNESCO at an International Conference on Education in Geneva in 1993. The best way to recognize the services of teachers is to resolve their problems so that they can teach with full peace of mind.

Various activities will be organised in educational institutions to appreciate services of teachers who groom future generations and are instrumental in nation building.

A various teachers association have been demanding that new FG schools should be opened in the rural areas of Islamabad including Bhara Kahu, Tarnol, Neelor Golra and other remote villages of federal for provision of better education facilities to the people.

The members of these associations demanded that the appointment of the college teachers might be made directly in Grade 18 instead of 17 as being practiced at the university level and teachers working on contract should be regularized.

It is common complaint of the teachers teaching in private schools that most of them are getting less than the basic minimum wage of Rs 7000 and they want the government to come to their rescue.

The teachers complain that housing allowance is not enough and it is arduous to find a reasonable place to live in the federal capital.

Besides increasing residential funds, the hiring process should also be simplified to facilitate teachers, they say.

Talking to Daily Times, DG FDE Dr Shaheen Ahmed Khan said that teachers were instrumental in the nation buildings because they gave vision and direction to the youth who were future of a nation. She said the teachers besides teaching also concentrate on promoting wisdom, integrity, character and tolerance among the students so that they could become good citizens. “All the issues of teachers, working under FDE including delay of their salaries, regularization of contractual employees, provision of transportation system for female teachers have been solved and only few are pending and within few weeks FDE would solve it as well,” Dr Ahmad assured.

Federal Government Colleges Teachers Association (FGCTA) Press Secretary Muhammad Tahir said Federal Minister for Education Sardar Aseff Ahmed Ali assured them of resolution of problems of teachers in their last meeting few months ago. However, he said, nothing happened despite the assurance that problems of grade enhancement and promotions would be resolved.

In many cases, teachers wait for 25 years for promotion from one grade to the next.

This situation causes sense of deprivation among teachers so those who have been serving for many years must be promoted according to time scale promotion formula, he added.

Still there is shortage of teachers in educational institutions but it should be ensured that proper procedure is followed to avoid financial complications, Tahir concluded.