UPPER DIR: Hundreds of ad-hoc teachers of the “teaching assistant” cadre of various colleges across the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa under the banner of Teaching Assistant Survival Society (TASS) have demanded to promote them as lecturers and regular their services. They have made these demands to Provincial Government in a press conference in Dir on Tuesday. Talking to media district coordinators of the TASS for Upper and Lower Dir, Muhammad Wahab and Izharullah said that the provincial government had introduced the teaching assistant cadre some two years ago to end shortage of lecturers in government colleges as well as decrease burden on lecturers. As many as 900 teaching assistants were recruited in colleges across the province through the policy on ad-hoc basis, they said. They said that though they had been recruited on ad-hoc basis however they had been passed tough and difficult screening tests and their recruitment had been made under Education Testing and Evolution Agency (ETEA)’s test. A test, they added, which require for recruitment of regular lecturers. They said that they had been performing their duty with honestly and fully responsible manner since last two year. They said that there were more than 60 per cent of Ph-D and M. Phil scholars working as teaching assistants. They were of the view that the department of higher education has not fixed a proper pay scale for them. The additional director of HED had also admitted during his visits to various colleges that after the recruitment of teaching assistants betterment was seen in learning process. The initial contract was to end in November, this year, TASS office bearers said and added Chief Minister Parvaiz Khattak, Provincial Minister for Higher Education, Mushtaq Ghani, Speaker, Asad Qaisar and Ninister for Finance, Muzaffar Said had assured them many times to regular the services of teaching assistants and convert them into lecturer cadre. However, they had not fulfilled their promises, the said. They said uncertain situation had developed among them and they were not sure about their secure future in those circumstances. “900 hundreds families would be economically-killed if we were not regularized soon”, said Ikramullah. They met with Muzaffar Said in Talash and discussed the matter with him, they said, adding that the finance minister told them that a resolution to be tabled in the session after Eidul Azha in the provincial assembly. And the resolution would be passed through show of hand voting. He assured them, they said, that he would take personal interest into that issue and also try his best to convince other members of the assembly to give vote in pure of the resolution and pass it unanimously from assembly.