Zubair Qureshi
Around 300 teachers, mostly ladies, working on deputation under wedlock policy, were shocked to hear about an order issued by the Secretary Ministry of Education withdrawing the temporary relief granted to some of these teachers against repatriation last year. The letter issued on Wednesday with signature of Aamir Ashraf Khwaja declares that the orders issued last year on Sept 6 suspending repatriation of more than 30 teachers, stands withdrawn meaning thereby they were to be repatriated to their parent departments in their respective provinces. Secretary Federal Ministry of Education while citing directions of the courts has cancelled the letter dated 06-09-2022 on the other hand, according to teachers no such directions have so far been passed by the Islamabad High Court. “If there is any such direction, the Secretary Education should have mentioned/quoted it,” said one of the teachers under wedlock while talking to Pakistan Observer on Wednesday.
“We are wondering how the Secretary of the Federal Ministry for Education, who is a subordinate of the government, could overlook Speaker National Assembly Raja Pervaiz Ashraf’s ruling and the statements of Education Minister Rana Tanveer Hussain who have repeatedly expressed concerns over our repatriation” said she. Raja Pervaiz Ashraf on October 11, 2022 had ruled, “The condition of five years maximum period will not be applicable for deputationists under wedlock policy. A summary for the Prime Minister was moved on March 8, 2013 for absorption of teaching staff of the FDE working as deputationists under wedlock policy…and I was the prime minister at that time.”
Besides, Education Minister Rana Tanveer had also assured the House that all deputation teachers would be given one-time blanket absorption.
When the current government has given us an assurance about absorption, the Secretary Ministry of Education’s letter comes in complete violation of their stance, said the teachers.
