Schoolteachers, lab staff unpaid for over two years

Islamabad

Despite ensuring provision of computer science education to around 10,000 students uninterruptedly, several dozen schoolteachers and laboratory staff members of Islamabad’s 11 government schools have gone unpaid for 27 months.

With computer science a compulsory subject for students enrolled in sixth, seventh and eighth grades, the Federal Directorate of Education (FDE), which regulates the public sector educational institutions in Islamabad up to the intermediate level, set up computer laboratories in 11 schools and hired the required staff members, including 24 computer science teachers (BPS-17), 17 lab in charge (BPS-17) and 50 lab attendants, in December 2012 on one year contractual basis on ‘open merit and after fulfilment of all formalities’ as put by a teacher.

The contract was extended for one year but the FDE continued with the services of these employees afterwards citing the acute shortage of staff as reason without extending their contract and paying salary.

According to the teacher, the PC-1 of the two-year computer lab project for which he and his colleagues were hired clearly stated that after the successful execution of the initiative, the teaching and non-teaching staff hired through development budget will be shifted to the recurring side through the (erstwhile) education ministry (currently Capital Administration and Development Division).

However, the CADD hasn’t acted accordingly for two years through salary payment and service adjustment and thus, causing uncertainty about their future.

In September 2005, the Senate Standing Committee on Cabinet Secretariat recommended, ‘the CADD may coordinate details with the Planning Commission and resolve the matter with respect to non-payment of salaries to contractual computer science teachers under FDE and confirm arrangements in this regard within fifteen days,’ but to no avail.

Another teacher claimed that in line with the orders of the Islamabad High Court in September 2012, the CADD was to submit the service regularisation cases of the contractual employees in question, especially schoolteachers, to the cabinet’s relevant sub-committee but that didn’t happen.

He added that in May 2016, the FDE formally recommended the extension of the services of the project employees and payment of withheld salary to them while confirming the availability of funds for the purpose, but the CADD turned down the recommendation in December 2016.

The teacher insisted that the project employees were discriminated against through the denial of contract extension, salary payment and service regularisation.

“Ours is a clear case of discrimination and violation of the law. Let me provide evidence for it! First, the PC-1 clearly states that after completion of the project, the teaching and non-teaching staff hired through development budget will shift to recurring side through the education ministry (now CADD) but that didn’t happen. Second, the FDE regularised the services of such employees on in February 2013. Third, the FDE established computer labs in 25 secondary schools in 2001, 35 in 2004 and 81 in 2005 before regularising their contractual employees, including computer science teachers in 2011. Fourth, the Statistics Division regularised the services of contractual employees, including BPS-17 ones in April 2015. Fifth, the CADD extended the contracts with retrospective effect of the Pakistan Institute Medical Sciences Bone Marrow Transplant project staff members in the end of 2016, and lately, the FDE paid salary to its daily wage employees.”

The teacher said the retention of computer lab project employees was necessary to guarantee the provision of computer science education, a technical and compulsory subject, to around 10,000 students, a point highlighted by the FDE, too, in formal communications with the CADD.

Voicing job insecurity, he demanded the prime minister and CADD minister to step in for the immediate release of the withheld salary, extension in contract term and regularisation of services to their and families’ relief.

When contacted, spokesman for the CADD Attiqur Rehman said the computer lab project was of one year duration and thereafter, funds were not available.  He said the division had no plans to regularise the project employees.