Mardan - Chairman of the Education Council, Hafiz Muhammad Zubier, has rejected the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) inquiry report, calling it an attempt to defame the integrity of teachers. In a press statement issued on Saturday, Hafiz Zubier stated that names of principals, focal persons, and other responsible individuals were included without proper inquiry.
A representative delegation from the School Officers’ Association, Management Cadre Association, and Education Council Mardan met District Education Officer (DEO) Mardan, Zahid Muhammad, to discuss the NAB inquiry report regarding textbooks. The delegation condemned the nomination of school heads and focal persons for irregularities in the supply and demand of free textbooks and the collection of money from them, calling it a conspiracy to damage teachers’ integrity.
Hafiz Zubier warned that if any principal or responsible person from Mardan district was named without proper evidence, the School Officers’ Association, Education Council Mardan, and Management Cadre Association would not accept it. They would seek legal action and refuse to cooperate with the DEO office until proven innocent. He emphasized that the record of free textbooks is available with every school, and there is no irregularity in the district’s records. The delegation also questioned the DEO about the lack of communication with the Secretary Education, Director Education, and concerned officials of the Secretariat before calling the meeting of the DEOs. They expressed their intent to prosecute the officers who called the meeting without informing the authorities.
Hafiz Zubier argued that no school records were checked in Mardan regarding the FTB inquiry, and no proper investigation was conducted. He demanded that the inquiry report be made public and that those responsible be given a chance to clear their names. He also called for an expanded investigation into the quality of paper, binding, and printing of textbooks, challenging the illegal recovery from teachers without proper investigation.