Local bodies, semi-govt organizations: CM orders resolution of pension issues

KARACHI: Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah Tuesday directed all departments, particularly the local bodies, authorities of different boards, and other semi government organisations to resolve pension issues of their employees and report to him. He was presiding over the provincial cabinet meeting here at New Sindh Secretariat.

The meeting was attended by all the provincial ministers, senior adviser, chief secretary Mumtaz Shah, chairman P&D Mohammad Waseem and concerned secretaries. At the outset of the meeting, the chief minister was told that there were pension issues of local bodies’ employees. “An employee who retires from his/her service must be given their pension and dues in time,” he said and added that the local bodies such as KMC, DMCs, Sukkur Municipal Corporation and such other have failed to develop payment of pension mechanism, therefore, the employees have run from pillar to post for their legitimate right. “This is unfair and should be addressed on priority basis,” he ordered.

Murad Ali Shah directed the chief secretary to personally resolve the issue so that payment pension and other areas may be resolved once for all. Teachers transfer policy: The education department presented a transfer policy for teaching staff of school education department saying that with the aim to ensure continuity of teachers during an academic year and restrain frequent transfer and postings, especially transfer of teachers from remote rural areas to urban areas, a ban on transfer was imposed on Nov 5, 2018.

Again, in August 2019 approved a complete ban on transfer of all teaching staff. The complete ban on transfer and postings for over two years has had impediments as well, leading to permanent and temporary closure of schools due to retirement or expiries of teachers and worsening student-teacher ratio (30:1) in teacher deficient schools. It was also pointed out that due to complete ban on transfer requests, the requests of female teachers on wedlock policy and transfer requests of female teachers on diverse or death of husband and ailing teachers could not be entertained.

Sindh Education Minister Saeed Ghani and Secretary School Education Ahmed Bux Narejo presented a draft transfer and posting policy said that with an aim to open all the viable closed schools, ensure availability of teachers in primary schools, to maintain student teacher ratio and to make science and English teachers available the school education department has prepared a transfer policy. The policy: `General transfers of teachers will be notified in the month of March every year and will be implemented from the new academic year. The requests of teachers transfer shall be entertained as per following timelines:

a) Interested teachers will be required to submit E-transfer applications for their transfer during two weeks of January.

b) Scrutiny of transfer applications by concerned District Education Officer (DEO) office during third and fourth week of January.

c)Scrutiny of E-transfer applications, except those where DEO is competent by the concerned director in the first week of February.

d) Scrutiny of E-transfer application by director HR during second and third weeks of February.

e) Uploading of all system generated orders on the website of school education dept by third week of March. The education minister clarified that the above said timelines will not be applicable in the cases such reopening of single-room schools, wedlock cases, death of spouse and diverse (for female teacher) cases and ailing teachers suffering from debilitating chronic disease.

The cabinet after thorough discussion approved the transfer and posting policy of the schoolteachers.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2021