Female teachers appeal to govt for passing Family Protection Bill

Islamabad: Female teachers serving in various schools of the Federal Directorate of Education (FDE) under wedlock policy have appealed to Federal Education Minister Dr Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui, Law Minister Azam Nazir Tarar, Chairman Senate Syed Yousaf Raza Gilani, leaders of other parties to get their bill ‘Protection of Family Life & Wedlock Bill 2023’ passed by the joint session of the Parliament.

The bill was earlier passed by both houses of the Parliament but returned by the then President Arif Alvi. Now the bill’s fate is again before the joint session of the Parliament that is scheduled to meet on Feb 17. The future of 300 families will be at stake as these teachers have been serving with full dedication for many years sacrificing their grades (promotions) and salary raise etc., hoping that like many of their colleagues they too would be regularised.

The FDE, on the other hand has been issuing these teachers repatriation letters with the directions to report to their parent departments (in other provinces) as thr majority of these teachers are working on the courts’ stay orders.

Interestingly, there existed 10pc quota for absorption of wedlock teachers in Islamabad’s local schools but a large number of teachers were absorbed too, particularly those with connections in the government, Parliament or institutions. But for last few years, due to some reasons implementation of 10pc annual quota has been stopped. Since then, the number of deputation teachers (wedlock) has been increasing. This oversight has cost the wedlock teachers heavily as they have come from various provinces to join their spouses under wedlock policy.

Now the FDE is sending them back to their provinces but in most of the cases there is no one with whom these teachers could stay back in their provinces as either their parents are no more in the world or their families have shifted here in Islamabad.