Amraiz Khan Lahore
Over 1800 Teachers from all over Punjab serving in Punjab Vocational Training Institutes have been protesting peacefully for over 3 days under the banner of APVTA headed by Mr. Nasir a teacher from Multan VTI, in front of CM Punjab Office located on Club Road Lahore. The CM Punjab has taken notice and the issue was also raised in Punjab Assembly.
The Speaker has referred the matter to a special committee. The protesters are requesting CM Punjab to address their grievances.
There are 200 VTI centers located in Punjab which offer vocational training to the most deprived sections of society who cannot afford to go to school.
It was designed to serve as an effective Poverty Alleviation Program which has been adopted all over the world and has served to curtail rising drug addictions and crime amongst the unemployed poor.
Unfortunately, over the years the basic purpose of imparting skills to maximum number of deserving poor has become secondary for PVTC Executives.
PVTC has become a top-heavy white elephant for the welfare of retired bureaucrats who have neither been trained nor familiar with basic objective of setting up such institutes, especially in countries like Pakistan. C
ost-cutting measures have been adopted on grounds of reducing liabilities by drastically reducing number of trainees, with no reduction in administrative expenditure or their perks and benefits. The qualified Teachers and Instructors are amongst those who are suffering and many are not receiving even basic minimum wage announced by Punjab Government.
The basic end product being the number of students per class per trade was first reduced from 30 to 15, and after a lot of resentment by several District Board of Management, especially Lahore District BOM, it was enhanced again to 30 and then again reduced to 25, with no reduction in administrative expenditures of the executives and officers sitting in Head Office.
PVTC was established to impart skill training and empower the most deprived boys, girls, and transgenders to earn a decent, in 1998.
There are over 60,000 students who are imparted skill training in 55 trades, which range from Electrician, Plumbing, Motor Mechanic, Basic Computer, Make-Up, Dress Designing, Hairdressing, First Aid etc.
PVTC employs 2300 regular teachers, along with 600 daily-wagers who are protesting for last three days in front of CM Punjab office, demanding that their salaries by revised from the 2012 Structure and brought at par with existing Punjab Government Pay Scales.
The Disparity Allowance be given and those cleared by Promotion Board be immediately given promotion letters and increments due.
For instance, those given promotion by the Lahore District Board of Management in February 2022, have not received Promotion Letters nor Increments due, because of bureaucratic hurdles and red tape tactics of administration.
