PESHAWAR:
The government on Tuesday informed the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Assembly that it would not convert the status of about 2,000 education department employees, initially hired as temporary or “flexible” teachers, to ad hoc positions.
The KP Department of Higher Education hired the teachers under an interim agreement to address the shortage of teachers in public universities.
The treasury faced an uncomfortable situation in the provincial assembly when one of its members supported a call for attention presented by the opposition.
Taking the floor, PPP parliamentary leader Ahmed Kundi said in his statement that the government had allocated funds to address the shortage of teachers in public universities and had hired approximately 2,000 flexibly contracted teachers. “Currently, these professors teach bachelor’s and master’s programs in 330 universities.”
He said there was ambiguity regarding the duration of their employment and salaries, and urged the government to convert their positions to ad hoc positions to ensure job security for at least a year.
He added that if teachers were fired, students’ education would be severely affected as teachers had become an integral part of the academic system.
In response, Law Minister Aftab Alam clarified that recruitment in the Department of Higher Education follows a formal procedure, while the flexible recruitment policy was introduced only for emergency situations to avoid disruption of academic time of students.
He stated that as per government policy, teachers cannot be directly converted into permanent or ad hoc positions.
He explained that ad hoc appointments were often challenged in court, increasing pressure on the government to regularize them.
Furthermore, the minister stated that the provincial salary budget has already increased significantly. He added that there is a clear procedure for the appointment of permanent employment and it is through the Public Service Commission.
Supporting Kundi’s call for attention, Treasury member Munir Luqmani said that if the government needs to recruit teachers again, it should first adjust those currently serving as teachers through an appropriate mechanism.
Due to the prolonged discussion and the absence of the Minister of Higher Education, the president postponed the matter to the next session of the assembly.
Resolution
The assembly also passed a unanimous resolution, urging the federal government to take immediate action regarding payment of salaries and release of 6,000 Pakistani workers imprisoned in Saudi Arabia.
The resolution was presented by ANP member Nisar Baz. He stated that the house expressed concern over the situation of thousands of Pakistani workers in Saudi Arabia who are facing various difficulties. Despite complying with all legal requirements, they are experiencing delays in the payment of salaries and other problems.
It was reported that around 6,000 workers have not received their salaries for several months, causing serious hardship and financial pressure on their families.
The assembly urged the federal government to immediately intervene in the matter and, through the Ministry of External Affairs, contact the Saudi authorities to ensure payment of salaries to Pakistani workers.
The resolution also demanded that emergency measures be taken to resolve the problems faced by the affected workers so that they can resume their work activities with dignity.
