ISLAMABAD: A parliamentary panel on Thursday directed the Federal Ministry of Education and Vocational Training to immediately pay the salaries of daily wage teachers, and take steps to make these teachers permanent in collaboration with the Ministry of Law, the Establishment Division, and the Ministry of Finance.
The Senate Standing Committee on Federal Education, Vocational Training, National History and Literary Heritage meeting was held under the chairmanship of acting chairperson Senator Engr Rukhsana Zubair, and daily wages teachers' issues of non-payment of salaries and non-regularisation were examined in detail.
Rukhsana Zubair said the issue of non-payment of salaries and regularisation of daily wage teachers had become a problem in the whole country, and it was better to legislate in that regard. Teachers are on strike every day and their problem should be solved permanently.
The delegation of daily wage teachers told the standing committee that the Federal Directorate of Education is working under the Federal Ministry of Education, and about 3,000 teachers have been engaged in the teaching process for the last 10 years. They are not paid on time and are not being made permanent.
These include teachers with PhD, MPhil and Master's degrees. The court has also recommended that they be made permanent but this is not being implemented. Unfortunately, we have not been paid a single rupee since July 2020. Daily wagers are hired due to shortage of teachers in schools but their problems are not solved, they added.
The secretary Federal Education and the Director Education told the committee that these teachers were hired on daily wages as per the need. The standing committee reviewed in detail the Arabic Language Compulsory Education Bill, 2020, introduced by Senator Muhammad Javed Abbasi. He said all of Muslims should know Arabic. We recite holy Quran and prayers but we do not know what it means.
The introduction of Arabic language can improve the affairs of our religion and the world. The Standing Committee unanimously passed the bill with the opinion of the members. Regarding the confusion over the results of A-level students raising issues of public importance raised by Senator Muhammad Ali Saif in the Senate meeting on August 13 in the standing committee, chairperson Senator Engr Rukhsana Zubair said the bill had already been passed.
The matter has been reviewed in detail and the reservations of the senator have been removed, hence the matter is closed. Regarding the issue of public importance raised by Senator Muhammad Ali Saif in the Senate meeting on August 13, 2020 and the issue of granting scholarships to the Ehsas Programme against merit, Senator Engr Rukhsana Zubair said the bill had already been reviewed in detail.
And the information has been provided and the committee settles the matter. The Standing Committee approved the nomination of Senator Mirza Muhammad Afridi as a member of the Pakistan Institute of Fashion and Design.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2020