Female teachers protest transfer to remote areas

LAHORE:Dozens of female teachers of Special Education Department Punjab staging a demonstration on Monday strongly protested against, what they termed, “forced transfers” of female staff to remote areas. They demanded the chief minister take notice of the transfers and order an inquiry into the same to unearth politics involved in the process.

The teachers, including Psychologists and Speech Therapists serving at special institutions, some of them along with their kids, had gathered outside the Punjab Assembly. They criticised the Secretary Special Education Department for the transfers.

Carrying banners and placards they demanded the chief minister take notice of the transfers alleging that the whole process was being followed mysteriously by dislocating senior female teachers and “accommodating” comparatively newly-appointed teachers against their posts. They alleged that in some cases, teachers serving in Lahore for more than 10 years were not “disturbed” at all which gave an impression that nepotism and discriminatory policy was being followed. The teachers said that the department did not consider for a minute as to how female teachers would handle their family affairs, including continuation of their children’s education etc and health related issues after transferred from one city to another. “The nearest city a female teacher has been transferred from Lahore is Gujranwala,” said one aggrieved teacher. She demanded the chief minister hold an inquiry into the transfers to ascertain facts alleging there was a prevailing perception that these transfers and postings were being made in violation of basic human rights.

When contacted, Secretary Special Education Punjab Javed Iqbal Bukhari said that 70 percent of the department’s teachers were from Lahore District alone and all of them could not be posted in the provincial metropolis. He said all officers serving in BS-17 and above at the time of joining signed the condition that they would be ready to serve anywhere in Punjab.

To a question, as to why the department could not treat transfer cases of female teachers on compassionate ground, he said most teachers were from Lahore who over the years were able to secure job through the Punjab Public Service Commission (PPSC) as no quota system was followed for these posts.

Javed Iqbal Bukhari said the department had prepared a new transfer policy to address such genuine concerns of the teachers. He added the policy was likely to be approved by the provincial cabinet soon after which the same would be implemented and transfer/posting would be made during summer vacation only.