Mardan     -  The District Education Officer (DEO-Male) suspended 51 teaching and non-teaching staff of different primary schools in Mardan district for allegedly remained absent from their duties. 

A notification issued by the DEO-Male Dr Muhammad Idress, said a report of different government primary schools of Mardan district was submitted in the Education Monitoring Authority (EMA) for the month of October.   

The report said that 51 teaching and non-teaching staff of different government primary school, including 5 primary school head teacher (PSHT), 22 primary school teacher (PST), 5 senior primary school teacher (SPST) 9 chowkidar, 4 naib qasid, 5 junior clerk and 1 sweeper of different primary schools throughout the district remained absent from their duties.  

The DEO-Male exercising his power under E&D rules 2011 suspended the above-mentioned teaching and non-teaching staff from their services in the best of public interest.   

Talking to The Nation, Hafiz Zubair Ahmed, provincial spokesman of Government Schools Officer Association (GSOA), strongly criticised the DEO for suspending teaching and non-teaching staff and said that the DEO misused his power. He claimed that the DEO did not follow the rules of E&D. He said the DEO issued notification on the report of EMA and awarded major plenty to 51 staffers.  

He accused the DEO of violating the service rules and said that Government Schools Officers’ Association strongly condemned the EDO-Male Mardan’s act and demanded the provincial government and secretary education to take action against the DEO and also to withdraw notification and conduct inquiry into the matter.