FDE teachers seek revamp of promotion and academic structures

Islamabad: Federal Government College Teachers Association (FGCTA) has urged the Ministry of Federal Education and Professional Training to revamp the promotion and academic structures of teachers of the Federal Directorate of Education (FDE) colleges.

The issue of Federal Government Colleges were brought to the forefront during a recent meeting held here Thursday between the representatives of the Federal Government College Teachers Association (FGCTA) and the Secretary of the Ministry of Federal Education & Professional Training Waseem Ajmal Chaudhary. Dr. Rahima Rehman, the President of FGCTA, raised concerns about the slow promotion structure for college teachers, emphasizing that provinces such as Khyber-Pakhtun­khwa, Punjab, and Sindh had already improved the 4-tier promotion formula for their teachers.

However, the federal education department has yet to revise its formula, resulting in a slow pace of promotions. Dr. Rehman urged the Secretary to align the federal service structure with that of the provinces to ensure equitable opportunities for advancement. Another key demand put forward by Dr. Rehman was the establishment of a separate academic cell for higher education within the Federal Directorate of Education (FDE).

Currently, higher education and primary education matters are handled by a single academic section, causing challenges in efficiently addressing the distinct issues of both setups. Dr. Rehman proposed a clear division between colleges and schools, asserting that their academic concerns should be treated separately for more effective resolution. Professor Farhan Azam, the Senior Vice President of FGCTA, urged the Secretary to reconsider the time scale policy for teachers.

He proposed that time-scale benefits should be granted from the date of eligibility rather than with immediate effect . Professor Azam highlighted that a meeting on this matter was already conducted in the first week of January, emphasizing the need for the notification to clearly state the retrospective nature of the time-scale grant. Professor Farhan Azam, Senior Vice President of FGCTA, emphasized the need for reforms in the time-scale granting process for teachers.

He proposed that time scales should be granted retroactively from the date of eligibility rather than with immediate effect. In response to these grievances, the Secretary of MOFE&PT pledged to address the concerns raised by the college teachers. He assured the FGCTA representatives that a meeting with officers of the Federal Directorate of Education would be convened to initiate resolutions to the identified issues.