Over 14,000 secondary school educators in Punjab, recruited a decade ago, continue to grapple with unresolved issues surrounding their job regularisation.
Blaming mismanagement within the Punjab School Education Department, a majority of these educators, predominantly female teachers, now find themselves overage and ineligible to pursue other government positions.
Despite 10 years having elapsed, successive Punjab governments have failed to address the regularisation of these educators' services. In a collective effort, the teachers penned a letter to Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif, urging for the regularisation of their employment status.
The plight of these 14,000 educators, hired between 2014 and 2018, persists across 36 districts in the province's public schools.
The majority, comprising female educators, express deep concern regarding their future prospects, being overage and barred from seeking alternative government employment opportunities.
Read: Teachers rejoice regularisation
A letter addressed to the chief minister, penned by Punjab Government Schools Association of Computer Teachers President Kashif Shahzad Ch underscored the urgency of the matter. Shahzad urged the Punjab CM to address the plight of these educators and issue permanent job letters without further delay.
Under the Punjab Regularisation Service Act, contract employees' services are typically regularized after three years. However, these thousands of educators remain deprived of this right, despite years of dedicated service.
"These 14,000 educators were initially hired in grade 16 between 2014 and 2018, and now their numbers total over 14,000," Kashif Shahzad Ch lamented.
“For years, we have raised our voices and protested for the issuance of permanent job letters, but to no avail,” he remarked.
“While a caretaker government formed a committee to address this issue, the ultimate decision rests with the CM and cabinet. Our hopes now hinge on the Punjab CM's intervention. Despite our letter to the CM, we are yet to receive a response on this critical matter."
Naseem Tahira, a female teacher, emphasised the dire consequences of the ongoing uncertainty.
"With an existing shortage of over 100,000 teachers in government schools, these 14,000 educators are deeply worried about their future,” she said.
“This uncertainty not only impacts us but also affects our ability to effectively teach our students. Many of us hold MPhil degrees, yet find ourselves without a clear career path. The School Education Department has provided no support in resolving this matter.”
She said, “we urge
the Punjab CM to prioritise the resolution of this critical issue.”
Published in The Express Tribune, March 11th, 2024.
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