Zubair Qureshi
After termination of more than 500 teachers in compliance with the Supreme Court’s (SC) orders dated August 17, 2021 schools under the Federal Directorate of Education (FDE) are facing a crisis-like situation and are unable to ensure smooth teaching.
The FDE in order to cope with the increasing burden on schools is reshuffling/transferring teachers from one school to another but things seem to go out of control.
While talking to Pakistan Observer a senior official of the FDE requesting not to quote his name said the academic session was in full progress and the teachers were taking their classes and it was a crisis like situation.
Due to COVID-19 we are already far behind the deadline in covering the courses and teachers were making hectic efforts to complete the syllabus but the SC decision has turned the things upside down.
Justice Mushir Alam of the Supreme Court on his last day in office (Aug 17) had declared as illegal and unconstitutional a PPP-era law, known as the Sacked Employees (Reinstatement) Ordinance Act (SERA) of 2010. Under the law, a number of people were reinstated or promoted with retrospective effect.
The federal government filed a review petition on Tuesday September 28 requesting the court to set aside the verdict as it had rendered almost 17,000 government employees jobless creating an uproar across the country.
Three days after the government filed the review petition in the Supreme Court, the FDE on Friday terminated the services of over 500 teachers.
There are 530 teachers and around 120 non-teaching staff who were hired in the ‘90s by the then PPP government but were sacked later. We were left with no other option than to comply with the court orders, the official said.
We have planned reshuffling of teachers to avoid disruption in academic activities, the official said.
A notification issued by the FDE with the approval of the federal secretary education stated: “In compliance with the Honorable Supreme Court’s Judgment dated 17-08-2021….conveyed for implementation by Establishment Division dated 13-09-2021 through Ministry of Federal Education & Professional Training Islamabad…the services of all beneficiaries of Sacked Employees (Reinstatement) Act 2010 are hereby dispensed with accordingly. Individual letters are being issued on them separately.
“All concerned DDOs are directed to calculate the financial impact liable to recovery from the person concerned to comply with the above judgment in true letter & spirit.”
Federal Government Teachers’ Association President Malik Ameer said it was strange and unfortunate that teachers who were near the retiring ages were sent packing on the basis of the Supreme Court order. He requested Prime Minister Imran Khan and the apex court to review the decision.
It may be mentioned here that the FDE schools are already understaffed and the teachers are overworked, stressed and under constant fear of being monitored.
Under such circumstances, termination of such a large number of their colleagues has added to their burden and the principals and their deputies have also conveyed to the FDE, according to sources, that it was almost an impossible task to continue normal schooling in the absence of these teachers.
