Protesting teachers face government's wrath
PPP-led Sindh government decided to baton-charge and water-cannon 1,500 teachers.
Dunya News Report (Humaira Sajid)
ISLAMABAD – Sindh Police on Wednesday, following the orders given by the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) government, charged the protesting teachers demanding for their salaries with batons and used water cannons to diffuse their protest.
Wielding national flags, members of Sindh Professors and Lecturers Association (SPLA) staged a demonstration near DJ College demanding the government to issue their salaries.
The police used water cannons at first in order to disperse the educationists, however upon resistance demonstrated by protesters the cops tear-gassed and charged the architects of society with batons. The sheer act of brutality caused three teachers badly wounded including a woman, reported a news channel.
According to sources, a group of teachers staging protest were approaching the Sindh’s Chief Minister House when the police intervened. While police claimed to have arrested at least five teachers, several of them were also injured during the battle of law enforcers against the pillars of our society.
The police sealed the roads leading towards the CM House by placing containers and started baton-charging the protestors. The shelling from the police s side knocked several demonstrators unconscious but most of them managed to reach the CM House, added sources.
Sindh Professors and Lecturers Association (SPLA), displayed several demands before the initiation of the protest however, including the imposition of a four-tier formula for promotions, end of corruption, issuance of seniority list of teachers of grades 17, 18 and 19, and enforcement of merit.
According to SPLA spokesperson Munawar Abbas, in the other provinces of Pakistan there are multiple secretaries whereas in Sindh there is just one, due to his relations with one of Sindh’s top politicians.
According to him, education secretary Fazlullah Pechuho is responsible for the destruction of the education department. “It is surprising that whoever the education minister is in Sindh, he has to work under the secretary,” he said.
According to data collected by an NGO, Alif Ailaan, 33 per cent primary schools have single classroom and 46 per cent primary schools are with single teacher, which is a blow to all those who claim that everything has become faultless in the education department. The statistics revealed by Alif Ailan clearly depict that there is a complete failed to provide required infrastructure, facilities and security to the future of this nation.
Islam has paid considerable attention to teachers for their being the first brick in the structure of social development and perfection and the cause of guiding and developing behaviors and mentalities of individuals and communities. However, the treatment with teachers by the rulers of Pakistan does not comply with the teachings and directives provided in Islam.
According to sources, the teachers, appointed in June 2012, by the then Sindh education minister Pir Mazharul Haq, have still not been able to draw their salaries. The teachers told the media sources that their families were suffering from hardships due to the non-payment of salaries.
“It is the utter failure of the Sindh government and education department. We don’t have any other jobs and in the absence of salaries it has become impossible for us to feed our families,” the teachers said.
Sindh Chief Minister Qaim Ali Shah had assured them and directed the education department officials in this regard but nothing has been implemented yet, sources reported.
