DPS teachers get notices for protesting on campus

LAHORE:The conflict between teachers and the administration at Divisional Public School (DPS) Lahore has reached a critical point with the school principal issuing show-cause notices to the protesting teachers.

Sources said that several of the DPS teachers were issued show-cause notices on Thursday by the principal Brig (r) Khurram Mahmood Rana and warned of disciplinary action for violating the school rules and damaging its reputation. It is pertinent to mention that dozens of DPS teachers protested against the school admin including its principal and BoG for their alleged anti-teacher policies, recently.

In an on-campus demonstration, the teachers had criticised the school administration for what they described as the elimination of medical benefits, failure to provide the mandated annual pay raise, and the removal of the leave encashment facility. They had accused the administration of raising school fees and fines and implementing policies that allegedly led to a decline in student admissions. The teachers had also planned a massive on-campus protest on Friday (today).

A teacher, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the administration was trying to intimidate the teachers by issuing show-cause notices. The teacher emphasised that it was their fundamental right to protest against the school’s unfair policies.

A show-cause notice issued to one of the teachers on September 19, a copy of which is available with The News, states: “The school administration has been informed that you made serious allegations against the school authorities on a media channel, which is a clear violation of school rules. Such unprofessional behaviour and misconduct severely damage the school's reputation, which is unacceptable.” The notice instructs the teacher/s to submit a written explanation by September 20, justifying their actions and providing any evidence to support their claims. “If you fail to respond within the given timeframe, it will be assumed that you have no defense, and ex-parte action will be taken against you,” the letter further warns.

When contacted, Principal Brig (r) Khurram Mahmood Rana said that he preferred to respond to written questions and requested that they be sent to him via WhatsApp. However, he did not provide a response until the filing of this report.