Ijaz Kakakhel
A legislative body of Upper House of parliament on Tuesday termed the dismissal of teachers working under federal directorate of education (FDE) is a criminal act and should not be acceptable.
They continued to advocate for fairness, highlighting that long-serving teachers, deserve better than sudden terminations without proper justification. These remarks were presented during Senate Standing Committee on Federal Education and Vocational Training, which held today at parliament house while Senator Irfan Siddiqui was on chair.
The committee’s meeting was marked by Senator Irfan Siddiqui’s strong assertion that the sudden dismissal of teachers without valid reasons is an unacceptable criminal act. Chairman of the Committee Irfan Siddiqui passionately articulated that the abrupt dismissal of teachers with years of dedicated service amounts to criminal offense. Drawing a parallel, he emphasized that even a household maid, who has worked diligently for fifteen years, should not be subjected to such unfair treatment.
Furthermore, Director General and Director of Federal Directorate of Education’s (FDE) actions came under scrutiny for misleading the Senate Standing Committee. Consequently, the matter was referred to the Senate Privileges Committee for thorough investigation and appropriate action.
He passionately expressed that these actions should not be tolerated under any circumstances. He drew attention to the fact that even a domestic worker with a decade or more of service should not be subjected to such unjust treatment. The Senator also criticized the arbitrary interpretation of court decisions that led to the dismissal of over 500 teachers, a move that disregarded established legal principles.
In light of the incident, it was revealed that 551 teachers teaching in Islamabad’s model colleges were instructed to cease their duties from August 10 without proper justification. Concerned about the sudden turn of events, the affected teachers sought the intervention of the committee’s chairman, Senator Irfan Siddiqui. Subsequently, the matter was included in the agenda of the ongoing committee meeting.
