Teachers ‘working without pay since 2012’ stopped from protesting outside PA

Govt officials assure protesters of convening meeting in two days

While Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah was announcing a 24 percent increase in the provincial education budget, a number of Arabic and Sindhi language teachers along with drawing and physical training instructors staged yet another protest on Monday against non-payment of their salaries by the provincial government since their appointments in 2012.

After gather at the Karachi Press Club, the protesters moved towards the Chief Minister House, but when they came to know that the chief minister was present at the budget session in the Sindh Assembly, they changed their route and marched towards the assembly building. 

After the protesters were stopped from reaching the assembly building, they staged a sit-in at the Arts Council roundabout, causing a massive traffic jam in the red zone in the afternoon time. 

Commuter remained struck in the gridlock almost for an hour as the demonstrators had refused to talk to officials of the education department, saying that they neither had any power nor any intention to resolve the long pending issue.

Later on, they agreed to meet Sindh government officials at the Commissioner House. A delegation of the protesting teachers informed the government officials that over 3,600 language and drawing teachers appointed in 2012 had been performing election duties as well as taking parts in polio camping besides other government duties, but they had never been paid since their appointments.

They maintained that other language and drawing teachers in rural Sindh were withdrawing their salaries on a regular basis, but the teachers in Karachi were being treated unfairly.

They said over 3,600 teachers in Karachi were appointed after completing the formal procedure but the government did not bother to listen to their genuine demands despite staging several protests. 

The protesting teachers also complained that the administration did not show a positive attitude towards the demonstrators during their sit-in on Monday despite and a female teacher fainted in the heat.

The demonstrators ended their protest after government officials assured them of convening a meeting two days after in which the teachers would submit their documents. The officials said the issue would be brought to the notice of the chief minister, who has the final authority to decide the matter.