ISLAMABAD

The central executive committee of the Central Academic Staff Association (CASA) has highlighted the lingering problems of the teaching community here on Friday.

Prof Murad Ali, general secretary of the association, said that teachers ofIslamabadmodel colleges have been facing severe problems for the last couple of years but the authorities concerned are either unwilling or unable to give heed to the issues of hapless teaching community.

He said that all federal employees working in the federal capital are enjoying ceiling facility but only teachers are being denied this basic right. 'For the last 3 years more than 500 teachers working in Islamabad Model Colleges have been waiting for their ceiling to be approved but to no avail. Those who have been given ceiling facility are also facing problems because contrary to other departments where cheques for ceiling are issued in advance, in education department poor teachers have to wait for years to get their overdue amounts'.

This has created a very embarrassing situation for teachers because house owners are hesitant to hire their houses to the teachers. He further said whenever this issue is raised lack of funds is quoted by the concerned authorities as a reason. He wondered why funds are always scarce for teachers only.

Prof Mehboob Ahmed, senior vice president, said the time scale promotion formula adopted last year is not being implemented in letter and spirit. A large number of teachers who have completed the required years for promotion to the next scale are being denied promotion. He suggested that departmental promotion committee meeting should be held biannually to address this issue.

Discussing further some major problems of the teachers he said that posting of daily wages teachers who have been regularised recently is also a matter of concern for the teaching community. Although a large number of teachers have joined the department after regularisation of their services yet very few have been posted and rest are waiting for their posting.

Prof Rasheed Khan, President CASA, said that there is a great resentment among teachers over recent posting of some principals in male and female colleges in which principle of seniority has been totally ignored. He said that pick and choose policy in posting of principals will further deteriorate the education standards of Islamabad model colleges.