MIRPURKHAS - Rift between the district education officer (DEO) (primary) Syed Wajid Ali Shah and taluka officer of Mirpurkhas has emerged as a main hurdle in the reopening of closed schools in the district.
It has been learnt that the taluka officer has stopped paying salaries to the district focal person tasked with opening the schools on charges of being absent from duty. Sources told The Nation that the secretary education had assigned the task of reopening over 400 primary schools in the district to the DEO, who then gave the task to District Focal Person Zulfiqar Ali Bhatti, while Haider Bux Nizamani was given two additional charges of taluka Sindhri, Hussain Bux Marri and Mirpurkhas.
Sources said that mostly closed schools were in taluka Sindhri. “However, so far about 130 primary schools have been reopened,” they said, but hastened to add, “This campaign, however, started getting affected by the differences between the DOE and taluka officer over the working of district focal person and stoppage of payment of salaries to the teachers by a taluka officer without permission of the DEO. When contacted district education officer lamented that without his permission the taluka officer had stopped payment of salaries to the teachers.
“It is a illegal,” he said, and added that he had appointed the district focal person to ensure a successful campaign, but taluka officer’s behaviour was adversely affecting the ongoing campaign to reopen the schools.
He said that without his permission deliberately salary of district focal person was closed by above taluka officer to disturb the above ongoing campaign. He said that he is now taking the action against his illegal acts.
When contacted taluka officer Mirpurkhas/Hussain Bux Marri/Sindhri, Haider Bux Nizamani admitted that he was closing the salaries of absent teachers through teasury department and reporting to district education officer for absconder teachers.
He claimed that as per directives of secretary he was working and not making violation of rules.