Police torture, arrest FDE daily wagers over protest

Islamabad

The police resorted to torture and arrests after the daily-wage teachers and non-teaching staff members of Islamabad’s government schools and colleges on Tuesday staged a sit-in outside the Federal Directorate of Education main offices in G-9/4 to demand regularisation of services.

Holding placards and shouting slogans, the protesters both men and women blocked the main road in front of the Federal Directorate of Education's main offices saying they would take all possible measures to claim rights.

According to the Young Teachers Association, which gave the call for the protest, a group of policemen suddenly showed up and began 'abusing and beating' peaceful protesters.

As a result, many daily wagers, including women, suffered injuries. A pregnant teacher fell unconscious.

The police later arrested YTA leaders Ehsan Bangash, Ihsan Sikandari, Saqib Ahmad, Rab Nawaz and Rizwan Bukhari and shifted them to the Karachi Company police station.

The YTA demanded strict action against the culpable policemen and the officials behind the torture.

While announcing the continuation of the protest, it made three demands.

"The FDE either post daily wagers to the vacant positions and new posts be created for the rest, increase the monthly salary of daily-wage teachers from current Rs13,000 to Rs30,000 in line with their contemporaries in Punjab and that of non-teaching staff members reasonably, or offer job contract to daily wagers without the condition of selection on open merit and once that contract expires, permanent joining be given to their respective posts."

The FDE overseen by the Capital Administration and Development Division has more than 2,000 daily-wage staff members, both teaching and non-teaching, at its educational institutions in the capital. They’ve been employed by the FDE for around eight years.

Of late, the PM’s office rejected the CADD’s summary suggesting the Federal Public Service Commission interview for the daily wagers working in BPS-16 and above and interview by a departmental committee for those working in BPS-15 and below, and ordered the filling of the BPS-16 and BPS-17 permanent positions eyed by daily wagers through ‘open competition’ i.e. written test by the FPSC.