An Open Letter to Education Secretary Sindh

Ali Gul Leghari
Respected Sir, since you have joined as Education Secretary Sindh, most of the teachers issues which were long awaited in pending are being sorted out rapidly which is much appreciated throughout the province especially your personal visits and observation of Schools, sparing time to listen to the issues of teachers in open forums and activeness in social media are much valued and praise worthy actions that have never been seen before. Our country needs such diligent and enthusiastic personalities like you who are true to their profession and work. Respected Sir, Through this letter, I want to draw your attention to the IBA JESTs and ECT Teachers of 2018. These science teachers were recruited through a tough and commissioned level test on pure professional degrees. These teachers have been protesting and demanding for their basic rights since their joining. Their demands are regularization and issuance of increment since date of their joining. It is beyond our understanding that in spite of thousands of vacant positions, why JESTs and ECTs have been deprived of being regularized whereas new recruitment policy 2021 is also contemporary to the previous one of 2018. According to 2018 policy, the professional degree holders will work on pure contract basis and as per new 2021 policy, the teachers are directly recruited on permanent basis. Thanks to the new policy that contract word has been erased for new teachers but isn’t injustice with previous teachers working under 2018 policy? Not only this but many other experiments have been done on IBA passed teachers of 2018 such as issuance of increment during their first salary, then its cancellation by AG office showing the reason of contractual employees, again restoration of increment after enormous complaints and protests and again its cancellation by AG Office Sindh showing lame excuses. Such acts show the lack of seriousness and professionalism. Respected Sir, it has been heard several times from your good office that teachers may concentrate towards their job and leave their pending works which will ultimately be done by your good office. But here the question rises that how can a teacher concentrate to his job in such environment when he feels himself insecure with his job? How can he show his performance in such state of stress that new policies are contradictory to his position and seniority. How can a teacher ensure his abilities when he in at sixes and sevens about the previous recruitment policies which allowed all the contractual teachers to take increment since their initial date of appointment but he has been deprived of it? Respected Sir, Through this platform, you are humbly requested to look into this matter more seriously. These teachers are doing their jobs with their enthusiasm and passion but they want their rights in timely manner. Keeping in view the great number of vacant positions, It would be great if IBA JEST and ECT Teachers are regularized before their contractual period and their increments are reinstated since their initial date of appointment. Moreover, a horizontal policy for all previous and new teachers may also be introduced to avoid any uncertainty among the nations builders in future.