LARKANA: Sindh education department bosses have so far failed to take any notice of the ongoing protest demonstration of the Primary Teachers Association (PTA) which entered the 12th constant day here on Thursday.
The PTA members are demanding fulfillment of furniture requirement in the schools which is being distributed on political influence basis, demanding appointment of JESTs and PSTs purely on merit without any intervention by influential political people, stopping of frequent transfer postings and posting of gazetted Taluka Education Officer in Larkana (TEO).
PTA District President Hajan Siyal, Deedar Ali Khokhar, Ghulamullah Sangi, Amrit Lal Oad, Afsar Ali Qureshi, Abdul Karim Memon, Ayaz Tunio and others said on the occasion Thursday that despite ban on transfers and postings of teachers education department bureaucrats of Larkana are doing transfers postings massively glaringly violating the standing orders spoiling the education atmosphere of schools and imposing junior teachers over senior illegally which has created unrest among the teaching community.
They said that several city and village schools of the district are facing acute furniture shortage and children are forced to sit down on the floor to get education which is inhuman. They said that non-gazetted TEO has been imposed on teachers which is unacceptable as it has enhanced corruption. They further demanded that PSTs working in BPS-9 should be upgraded to BPS-14 from February 2021 as agreed by the education secretary.
They said newly recruited teachers have not yet been paid their monthly salaries since April 2022 which should be paid without loss of time and waiting lists of teachers should be declared immediately to ensure transparency as appointment orders are being issued to those candidates who obtained less marks than those who gained more marks thus ignoring merit in PSTs and JESTs.
Credible sources alleged that data of appointed teachers was to be sent to higher authorities in October 2022 but they dispatched it in February 2023 due to which salaries were delayed. It was further alleged that the 3rd phase of recruitment was to be made in January 2023 of PSTs and JESTs but it has not yet been started which also proves the allegation of massive corruption and favouritism of loved ones for which sit-ins are going on across Sindh.
Director, Primary Education, Larkana Division, Gulsher Soomro said that salaries of JESTs have been released in Larkana and pay of PSTs will be released in February which seemed impossible as the homework has not yet been completed by the education department of submitting Form-I duly filled-in to the District Accounts Office.