Moalims

KARACHI: What seems to be a major U-turn, Sindh Senior Minister for Education and Literacy Nisar Ahmed Khuhro has backtracked from his statement that 10,000 teachers appointed in the tenure of PPP’s last government would be adjusted after fresh interviews and re-test.

The announce came by Nisar Ahmed Khuhro on July 7, 2013 at a press conference he was addressing at committee room of the Sindh Assembly along with Secretary Education Dr Fazalullah Pechuho. However, now the minister, working under alleged supervision or orders of Secretary Education has taken a U-turn and insisting on removing of all these teachers who were appointed by education minister in PPP last tenure i.e. Pir Mazharul Haq, sources confided to Daily Times.

The sources said the Sindh’s education department had announced to recruit more than 1,300 SLTs in BPS-9, 14 and 15 with a condition that the candidate must have studied Sindhi as compulsory subject throughout his/her education from institutions of the metropolis. Besides, another major condition was Karachi-domicile. However, the set conditions were changed as 98 percent of the candidates not belonging to Karachi were issued offers letters.

The written test for the candidates was held at Safia Khanum Memorial School near Gurumandir for females and boys at Government Boys and Girls School Moosmiyat in March 2012. And, the interviews were conducted in April 2012 however the process was halted completely over the difference of appointment procedure between the then Chief Minister Qaim Ali Shah and Education Minister Pir Mazhar. And when the documents of the candidates were verified, it was found that 300 offer letters for SLTs were issued to non-eligible candidates on cash and the majority of them belonged to Urdu and Baloch-speaking people. It was also disclosed that majority of these candidates were over-age and held fakes degrees, the sources added.

With all these developments, the Sindh government had appointed Dr Fazaullah Pechuho, brother-in-law of former president Asif Zardari, as Secretary Education who forwarded a letter to the Accountant General Sindh requesting them not to release salaries of the SLTs until the secretary’s office verifies the candidates. With the hue and cry from the affected people and within the PPP leadership, Nisar Khuhro, senior minister for education, addressed a press conference and promised that a new mechanism would be chalked out to adjust the these appointments. Former senior minister for education and literacy and PPP leader Pir Mazharul Haq told Daily Times that these appointments were made purely on merit and he stood by on his stance. However, the current secretary and minister are trying to end these appointments and make fresh ones, he added.

News Reference