Daily Times

The protest of 250 deputationist teachers is continued against their repatriation from Islamabad for the last 13 days.

The protesting teachers are of the view that wedlock policy law is in place and under this law no male or female teacher can be posted away from his family. But the Federal Directorate of Education (FDE) has expelled them from Islamabad.

The deputationist teachers have been staging protest outside National Press Club and parliament along with children for last 13 days.

During their protest Deputy Chairman Senate Salim Mandiwala assured them that he would raise their issue in Senate and justice will be provided to them. Later Interior Minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmad while expressing solidarity with the protesting teachers promised them he would talk to Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan about their problem. Senator Mustafa Nawaz Khokhar and other parliamentarians also assured the protesting teachers for extending full cooperation to resolve their problem. Many female teachers and their children have fallen ill due to continuous protest and mental pressure.

A protesting teacher, Javed Swati, told Online that living with family members is their constitutional right under wedlock policy. Article 25/3 of the constitution guarantees that wife will live with her husband and husband will live with his wife and children, he added.

Under the law, deputationist teachers can be regularized in Islamabad under 10 percent quota but FDE DG Ikram Ali, Director Law Azam Gakhar and Director Planning Saqib are showing stubbornness and this trio has regularized only 16 female teachers and issued orders for repatriation of remaining teachers.

Javed Swati told Online that some teachers were working in Islamabad since the last 10 to 28 years in Islamabad and some of them had resorted to Islamabad High Court for their regularization. But the court has not accepted their plea. But wedlock policy law was also not overlooked by the court. The FDE officials misinterpreted court’s decision and issued illegal order for their repatriation, he claimed.

Javed Swati said female teachers have spent the best years of their service under wedlock policy in Islamabad and how can they be repatriated now. On the other hand, the vacant seats of teachers in their native towns have been filled. He said that five female teachers have passed away due to brain hemorrhage under stress.