Discrimination amongst the Teachers on the basis of serving in Federal and Provincial Directorates should be removed

            I was deeply shocked and grieved when I saw the news item in the newspaper that the Federal Directorate of Education (FDE) has approved the promotion of 5,000 teachers who were either Matric Trained Teachers (MTT) or Trained Undergraduate Teachers (TUGTs) to Grade 14 and Grade 16 respectively.

            My grievance is not the promotion of the Teachers serving in the Federal Directorate of Education but my grievance is that why the Teachers serving in the Provincial Directorate of Education in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa were kept deprived of the higher Scales of Pay despite having higher qualification? Was it not the exploitation of the poor but highly qualified even by the Government? Article 3 of the Constitution is as under, Elimination of exploitation, “The State shall ensure the elimination of all forms of exploitation and the gradual fulfilment of the fundamental principle, from each according to his ability to each according to his work.”

            Either the Federal Government was lavish in giving so high Pay Scale to its teachers or the Provincial Government was frugal and exploitative in awarding such kinds of Pay Scales to its teachers. The Provincial Government toed the line of Federal Government in respect of every matter but in this matter of higher pay scales kept back itself due to reasons best known to the high ups of the Province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. What deeply alarmed me is that the Federal Government gave higher Pay Scales to the Matric Teachers but in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, the Teachers with higher qualification have been deprived from the higher pay scales over the years.

            Recently the Government of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has announced service structure for the teachers but mostly the teachers are not happy with that primarily because the senior teachers and qualified teachers have been totally ignored.

            It is a point to be pondered that when the Terrorists Organisations were giving high salaries to their employed miscreants, both the Federal and Provincial Government imbibed the concept of highest salaries from the Terrorists and doubled the salaries for the persons of law-enforcing agencies along with other fringe benefits. Till doubling the salaries, the Government had no regard for the sacrifices of law enforcing agencies nor the Government was aware of the condition of the widows and orphaned children. The payment of high salaries by the miscreants to their employees aroused the conscience of the respective Governments to look into the plight of their law enforcing agencies.  

            Government effectively realized that people need employment and salaries and the people of backward areas are more vulnerable to the terrorists that is why came out with packages and other benefits.

            Literacy cannot be increased by resorting to the exploitative tactics whether in the Public Sector or in the Private Sector. The condition becomes worse when much gap is detected between the Federal and Provincial Departments. Previously, the Provinces were unhappy on their shares in the distribution of financial assets between the Federation and Provinces but now after the 18^th Amendment in Constitution and elimination of concurrent list, the Provinces are in a better position to realize the grievances of their employees.

            It is very discouraging phenomena that on one hand some persons with fake degrees got seats in the Assemblies while on other hand a large majority of people who got highest qualification solely by using their brains have been given pay scales which cannot be proud of. From the highest to the lowest each one is busy in justifying the illegal acts of some legislators while no one is ready to say a word for the builders of the nations with shameful pay scales. Whatever may be said or done "An error does not become truth by reason of multiplied propagations nor does truth become error because no body will see it".

Manzoor Ahmad Yousafzai

Dated: Friday, 23 July 2010.

FDE promotes 5,000 teachers to BS-16, BS-14

Wednesday, July 21, 2010
Noor Aftab

Islamabad

In a major development, the promotion of 5,000 teachers of two categories in the Federal Directorate of Education (FDE) has been approved. The Ministry of Education is expected to issue a notification to this effect in a couple of days, sources told "˜The News'.

Well-placed sources said that it has been approved to give Grade 14 to Matric Trained Teachers (MTT), currently working in Grade 9 and having academic qualification of Secondary School Certificate (SSC). Similarly, Grade 16 has been approved for Trained Undergraduate Teachers (TUGTs) who are now in Grade 14.

Sources said that the promotion of teachers would add financial burden of Rs150 million per month due to which both the Ministry of Education and Finance Division had been showing reluctance that caused a long delay in completion of the process of promotion.

An official said that there are some changes in the criterion for promotion in both categories as FA and CT is necessary for promotion in the MTT category and BA along with BEd is required in the TUGT category.

But the promotion case of Trained Graduate Teachers (TGTs) who are working in Grade 16 has hit snags, as they cannot be directly promoted to Grade 17 because according to rules they have to secure promotion through the Federal Public Service Commission (FPSC).

Sources said the negotiations of teachers' association with officials of the Ministry of Education and Finance Division failed to yield results as existing rules and procedures do not allow direct promotion to Grade 17.

The office-bearers of the teachers' association have not yet lost hope as they are quite hopeful that they would find out some way for promotion of TGTs in Grade 17.

Some trained graduate teachers said they have masters and BEd degrees and take classes of arts and science subjects but they feel ignored as during last two decades teachers were appointed in Grade 17 directly through the FPSC.

FDE Chairperson Shaheen Khan told "˜The News' that they had forwarded a promotion case of 13,000 teachers to the Ministry of Education and hopefully all of them would get promoted with the passage of time.

Talking to this scribe, Education Secretary Imtiaz Qazi told "˜The News' that they have given approval for promotion of teachers in two categories, including MTT and TUGT.