ISLAMABAD - The teachers of model colleges who dared protest against the non-payment of hiring allowance will have to pay a price as the Federal Directorate of Education (FDE) has decided to transfer those who were leading the protesters.
According to information, the principal of the college has sent a summary of names to the directorate of those teachers who were leading the protesters and also about those whose names were appeared in the media.
One of the teachers, requesting not to be named, said, “Though transfers and postings are routine matters, if the teachers are transferred because of the protests, we will boycott the classes in all the model colleges. Instead of resolving our genuine problems the officials of FDE have been creating hurdles for teachers to fail their efforts and weaken their movement initiated to get their due rights.”
One of the officials informed that Islamabad College for Boys (ICB) G-6/3 Principal Iqbal Hussain has moved the summary on the directions of Director Model Colleges Tariq Masood, who headed a teachers’ association of model colleges also, but that, according to teachers, was not a representative body of them.
Though the teachers have been silently protesting since October 8 by wearing black armbands during classes against the pending dues, on October 18 they took to the streets and staged a protest demonstration in front of National Press Club against non-payment of hiring allowance for the last two years. They warned the education managers to pay the amount within a week or else they would boycott classes and observe complete strike in the educational institutions.
Nearly 250 teachers of 20 model colleges holding banners and placards had gathered in front of NPC and raised slogans against the FDE under which the colleges have been working.  The protesters along with the 100 percent hiring allowance payments within a week had also demanded that 1500 newly inducted teachers who have not been registered for the facility should also be entitled foe the allowance.
They had also sought the seat upgradation of the lecturers from grade 17 to grade 18 like university lecturers as per the announcement of the previous governments and also highlighted anomalies in appointments by the FDE in grade 18 and 19 bypassing the Federal Public Service Commission (FPSC).
The teachers who have been named for transfer include President of Central Academic Staff Association and General Secretary of Academic Staff Association of Islamabad College for Boys (ICB) G-6/3 Riaz Anjum, President of Academic Staff Association of ICB G-6/3 Prof Saeedullah Khan, Dr. Rasheed Anwar, Dr. Sohail, Jawad Hasan Jawad and Amanullah.
FDE Director General Shehnaz Riaz could not be contacted despite repeated attempts for comments. Director Model Colleges also could not be reached out.