Representatives of the Punjab Teachers Action Committee have threatened to launch a province wide protest drive against escalating price-hike, handing over the control of primary schools to district governments, increasing influence of NGOs and contract system, from January 1, 2006.
"If the government failed to meet their demands by December 31, an agitation movement will be launched from January 1, 2006", said Hafiz Abdul Nasir, chairman and Jan-e-Alam, general secretary, Punjab Teachers Action Committee at a news conference here on Saturday.
They said the government had closed all doors of promotions of junior cadre teachers, which was unfair and unjust. They also asked the government to formulate a comprehensive strategy for promotions of junior cadre teachers, similar to the one applicable to teachers falling in scale 17 or above.
Condemning the price-hike especially the increasing rates of utility bills, they asked the government to increase the salaries of teachers so that they could save their children from starvation.
They said, at present, a primary school teacher was getting Rs 5,000 per month, elementary teacher Rs 5,500, secondary teacher Rs 6,500, English teacher Rs 4,200 and educators were receiving Rs 5,500, Rs 4,200 and Rs 5,700 per month, respectively.
Criticising the move to shift control of primary schools from provincial government to district governments, they demanded of the chief minister to withdraw the decision forthwith.
They also called for lifting inter-district ban on transfers of teachers and minimising the role of NGOs in educational institutions, and withdrawing the changes recently made in the Islamic studies books.