Sindh govt, teachers reach agreement to end protest

KARACHI: The Sindh government and the teachers on Friday  reached an agreement to end the protest, ARY News reported.

One of the teachers’ key demand about higher grade on the basis of time scale of BPS-20 to High School Teacher has been accepted immediately and the Finance Department has issued a notification in this regard today. Sources said that the provincial government  formed a committee to address rest of  all the other demands of the teachers.

According to the notification, High School Teachers would be awarded higher grade on the basis of  time scale of BPS-20 on completion of 5 years in BPS-19.

Some of the important decisions taken during the meeting between Government Secondary Teachers Association (GSTA) and the Sindh government are as under:

• A committee of officers of SELD headed by the Secretary SELD with representatives of the GSTA, GOA and PTA shall look into the matter and will recommend its judicious amendments to the existing recruitment rules.
• Allow time scale BPS-17 to Junior School Teacher:   A summary in this regard will be submitted to the Sindh chief minister.
• A committee will propose suitable amendments to the cabinet for approval of legislation in connection  with the regularization of IQRA, SU, NTS and IBA passed teachers from their initial appointment.
• DPC will be convened within 10 days.
• The Finance Department will consider to give group insurance claim to all the employees of the Sindh government on the pattern of government of Balochistan in the light of the Supreme Court’s verdict.

On this occasion, Sindh Education Minister Syed Sardar Ali Shah assured the teachers that their dues would be paid within 10 days. He said that the issue of higher grade on the basis of time scale of BPS-20 to High School Teacher had been pending for last three years and added that he had forwarded a summery in this regard on March 22.

The education minister said that the teachers recruited in 2012 will have to go through scrutiny process for regularization. He said that they did not want to put the future of thousands of student at risk.

Syed Sardar Ali Shah also condemned the police torture on teachers.

Karachi: Teachers announce to boycott of classes on Friday

Earlier, government teachers had announced to boycott of classes on Friday in Karachi, against police torture on educators outside Karachi Press Club.

A representative of the teachers union on Thursday had  told ARY News that teaching would be remained suspended at public schools in Karachi to mark their protest against the police torture.

He had said that they would hold a major power show outside the KPC on Friday and added that teachers’ convoys across the province would participate in the protest demonstration.