The provincial adviser says that if schools are not opened, teachers’ salaries will be deducted (File photo: AFP).
Due to the strike of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa primary school teachers, educational activities are suspended in 26 thousand primary schools of the province.
The teachers of the primary schools of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa have given a strike call to approve the demand for scale upgradation, due to which all the primary schools of the province have been locked for the last three days.
According to the Education Department of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, more than 100,000 primary school teachers are on protest due to which educational activities have been suspended in 26,000 schools of the province.
Provincial President of All Primary Teachers Association Azizullah said that one-step promotion of teachers was not only promised but also approved by the cabinet in the previous government of PTI.
According to him, despite the passage of two years, this decision is not being implemented. Primary school teachers are recruited in scale 12 which will be recruited in basic scale 14 after approval of promotion.
APTA president said that the government is responsible for the closure of schools. This is our big demand, if the government agrees, we will open the school.
He further said that we are expected to meet with the Chief Minister soon after which the future action plan will be announced.
On the other hand, the Education Department of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has issued instructions to suspend the teachers who went on strike.
On October 16, the Directorate of Education sent a letter to all district education officers directing them to lock schools and suspend protesting teachers and initiate an inquiry.
Money to buy PIA but not for upgradation of teachers?
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Finance Advisor Muzmal Aslam is of the opinion that it is not possible to promote more than one and a half lakh teachers as it will put an additional burden on the treasury. He said that buying PIA is an idea of the government while the matter of upgradation of teachers is of a different nature.
‘It is wrong to say that if there is no money for the promotion of teachers, then why does the government want to buy PIA? If there is no money for the promotion of teachers, should the government not build roads?’
The finance adviser further said that a separate budget is allocated for each project and scheme. Similarly, we cannot spend the education budget on health and neither can the health budget be spent on education.
He said that ‘we have made an offer to the federal government to buy PIA, but the federal government has not yet responded.’
“When our offer is accepted, then we have the money for it.” PIA is a national asset, it can be bought and used as a resource.’
According to Finance Advisor Muzamil Aslam, the government is looking into the issue of primary teachers’ strike and if they keep schools closed under the guise of protest, their salaries will be deducted.
