College teachers to stage sit-in if promotions not notified by July 31

PESHAWAR: The college teachers have expressed serious concern over the long delay in notifying their promotions and adjustment against the right positions and threatened to stage a protest sit-in outside the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly if the issue is not resolved by July 31.

Talking to reporters, provincial president of Professors and Lecturers Association Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Abdul Hameed Afridi, said that the provincial selection board in its meeting held on March 4, 2024 had proposed the promotion of some 800 college lecturers, assistant professors and associate professor, but the higher education department was using a delaying tactics to notify the appointment and adjustment.

A new academic session was about to commence but the routine job was not being done for political reasons, he said, adding the cases were not being forwarded due to political likes and dislikes causing mental agony and financial losses to the teachers concerned.

He pointed out that the officials of provincial management services promoted in the same meeting were adjusted within 10 days. The school cadre employees were also notified by May 30, but the college teachers were still waiting for their adjustments despite the lapse of several months, he maintained.

Hameed Afridi informed that the association has constituted an action committee, which would hold a meeting with the minister for higher education to inform him of the sensitivity of the situation and the unrest among teachers.

He expressed his optimism that the higher education department would look into their genuine concern and notify the promotions at the earliest. They threatened that if the government failed to notify the promotions and adjustments, they would stage a sit-in outside Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly, which would continue till acceptance of their demands.

The promotions of college teachers have been a longstanding issue. The provincial selection board for their promotion too had been arranged after a long-drawn struggle. The promotions were due for years, but the authorities’ concerned were not holding the selection board for the purpose. After several protest demonstrations despite assurances made by the chief secretary, the selection board was finally held on March 4. But still the cases approved by the selection board could not be notified.