Unpaid teachers to boycott exam duties

Islamabad : The daily-wage teachers working at the government schools and colleges in the Islamabad Capital Territory have threatened to boycott duty and exam invigilation over the non-payment of salary for six months.

They told 'The News' that they'd not been paid salary since last May, so they and their families were in distress.

A member of the Young Teachers Association warned that if the Federal Directorate of Education, which oversaw public sector schools and colleges in ICT, didn't ensure the payment of withheld salary by November 20, the temps would boycott routine duty and the invigilation of second term exams beginning on November 22 to protest the denial of rights.

He said the daily-wage teachers had been performing their duty diligently despite the non-payment of salary for six months.

The YTA leader also said the daily wagers would also take to the streets and demonstrate outside the National Press Club to lodge their protest.

He said the protesters won't resume duty until the government met their 'genuine' demands, including salary payment and service regularisation.

The teachers complained that the education ministry's repeated promises for the resolution of their problems turned out to be false.

They said they're distressed by financial problems caused by non-payment of salary.

The teachers said if students suffered due to the strike, the ministry, FDE and finance ministry would be to blame.

Employed by the FDE for around 10 years, the daily-wage teachers of Islamabad's schools and colleges have been demanding posting to the vacant positions and creation of new posts for the rest, increase in the monthly salary from current Rs13,000 to Rs30,000 in line with their contemporaries in Punjab and that of non-teaching staff members reasonably, and the offer of job contract without the condition of selection on open merit and permanent joining in their respective posts after the contract's expiry.