Daily Times

LAHORE: Punjab public school headmasters have asked Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif to put an end to political interference in education sector.

In a meeting of Headmasters Association Punjab (HMAP) here on Saturday, schools head demanded the chief minister to take decisions in the best interest education sector.

While showing concern over the provincial government policies, they said the chief minister should not accept any foreign pressure and should take decisions keeping in mind the benefit of the nation.

HMAP President Rasheed Ahmad Bhatti presented demands and said that the provincial government should appoint all officers to Education Department, including secretary, purely on merit. He said political interference in education sector must also be stopped. He added that issues pertaining to the chief minister’s school reforms road map and attendance of students and staff should be reviewed. He said suspended rules of education code should be restored in order to make students more disciplined.

Rashid said that English medium way of teaching should be optional and government should declare every three out of five private as well as government educational institutions Urdu medium. “Teachers of grade 17 to 19 must also be given upgradation as well as promotion,” he demanded.

Meanwhile, the Punjab University Academic Staff Association (PAUSA) has demanded Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif to immediately dismiss SP Iqbal Town Adil Memon from service for allegedly favouring Islami Jamiat Tulaba (IJT) activists.

In a press statement, ASA President Prof Dr Sajid Rashid, Secretary Dr Mahboob Hussain and others have said that SP Iqbal Town was openly protecting the rogue elements involved in disrupting peace of the campus. They said that the SP was allegedly providing shelter to them. They said that SP Iqbal Town did not have etiquettes to talk to teachers.

They said that the registration of the FIR against the university’s security guards by police clearly showed his personal grudge. They said that the university administration had submitted medical report of ten security guards injured in a clash between university administration and IJT activists on Friday; however, police had not registered an FIR against them. They called upon the chief minister to take notice of the incident and take a strict action against the police official.