Teachers resent further delay in selection board meeting

Islamabad: The federal government's college teachers have expressed displeasure with the fourth time rescheduling of the meeting of Departmental Selection Board (DSB), which was to be held on June 18 at the Ministry of Federal Education and Professional Training.

The new schedule for the meeting hasn't been announced. Though the meeting was scheduled to be held on Feb 14 for which all clearance of eligible officers was collected, it could not be held and was rescheduled on Feb 21, 2019, and thereafter Feb 29, 2019.

However, the same did not happen due to the absence of a member i.e FDE director general, whose tenure expired two days before the meeting. "since then, many teachers have been retired without getting promotion. The fourth time postponement of the meeting is a joke with teachers," said a teacher. In FG colleges, 21 assistant professors (BS-18) including 14 women and seven men are waiting to be promoted to the rank of Associate Professor (BS-19). Similarly, in Model Colleges, 17 Assistant Professors (BS-18) including seven women and 10 men are waiting for their promotion in BS-19.

Delay in the holding of the DSB meeting, which is the only formality, is hindering the promotion process despite repeated requests of FGCTA. If the teachers get promotion, it will have a trickle-down effect as 21+17=38 posts of assistant professor will be vacant and lecturers could be promoted.

An official at the Ministry said, "The Departmental selection Board (DSB) meeting supposed to be held twice a year depending on the consequential vacancy but unfortunately it was not held despite large scale vacancies in posts of Associate Professors(male and female)."