Teachers stage protests in KP to demand restoration of pension, other privileges

PESHAWAR: The Young Teachers Association on Tuesday staged protests in various districts of the province to demand restoration of pension and other privileges.

In Batkhela, the protesters, led by YTA district president Ubaidur Rahman and others, gathered outside the Malakand Press Club and chanted slogans in favour of their demands.

They said that the government should restore pensions and stop the implementation of CP fun which termed an injustice with the teachers’ community.The teachers threatened to stage a protest sit-in outside the Adiala Jail in Rawalpindi if the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government did not reverse the decision of abolishing pension.

In Bajaur, the teachers also staged a protest against the government policy to end the pension and other perks of the government employees in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

Holding placards and posters inscribed with slogans of their demands, the protesting teachers, led by Ghulamur Rahman, asked the government to stop abolishing pension and implementing CP fund for the teachers recruited before June 2022.

They also demanded the government to stop deduction of CP and benevolent funds, RB and Dc fund and others from their salaries.

They said that the government should recruit teachers on a permanent basis instead of introducing an ad-hoc system, adding that temporary arrangements would not work in the educational institutions.The protesters said that they would launch a protest movement if they were not met.

ALPURI: The members of the Young Teachers Association Shangla also staged a protest to demand regularisation of ad-hoc teachers. They also rejected the abolition of the pension of 34,000 teachers recruited before June 2022.

The members of the Young Teachers Association Shangla, including Ashfaq Ahmad, Muhammad Hanif, Shahzad Ali, Muhammad Owais, Malik Miraj and others, addressed the protesters.

The protesters said that the notifications of the accountant general office and special secretary finance should be withdrawn immediately. They said that due to the negligence of the officials of the District Education Office, around 9,000 teachers had been left out of the Teachers Regularization Act 2022, demanding their regularization.

The protesters said that recruitment in the Education Department should be abolished on an ad hoc basis, adding that the Senior Science Teachers (SSTs) should be recruited on a regular basis. They demanded the deduction from GP Fund, Benevolent Fund and Retirement Benefit and Death Compensation (RB&DC) Fund should be stopped. They said that it was illegal to abolish the pension of those employees whose service was less than nine years and six months, saying they were already pensionable employees.

“We appeal to the chief minister Khyber Pakhtunkhwa to hold an urgent meeting with the leadership of Young Teachers Association Khyber Pakhtunkhwa to resolve these issues,” a protester said.“We will hold a sit-in outside Adiala Jail in Rawalpindi, where former prime minister Imran Khan is undergoing imprisonment to record our protest if our demands were not met,” another protester said.

MINGORA: The members of the Young Teachers Association also staged a protest in Swat for acceptance of their demands, including regularisation of the ad hoc teachers.

Addressing a demonstration outside the Swat Press Club, Young Teachers Association Swat President Nawab Farid, President Tehsil Barikot Khaliq Ahmad, President Tehsil Matta Saeed Ahmad Banori, President Tehsil Babuzai Mehboob Alam, President Tehsil Khwarzakhela Ashfaq Ahmad, President Tehsil Charbagh Azizullah, President Tehsil Bahrain Irfanuddin and President Tehsil Kabal Dr Nasir said, “The abolition of pension of 34,000 teachers recruited before June 7, 2022 and their inclusion in the CP fund was not acceptable under any circumstances. The notifications of the AG office and special secretary finance should be withdrawn immediately.

They said that due to the negligence of the District Education Officers of the Education Department, thousands of teachers were left out of the Teachers Regularisation Act 2022.They demanded the regularisation of the ad hoc teachers along with the pension and other benefits.

They asked the provincial government to address their concerns or else they would be compelled to widen their protests for acceptance of their demands.