ISLAMABAD: The Ministry of Federal Education and Professional Training has decided to send the regularisation case of 227 daily-wage teachers, who have cleared the Federal Public Service Commission (FPSC) exam and interview, to the federal cabinet on the direction of Islamabad High Court (IHC).

However, the teachers wondered why the approval of the federal cabinet was required for their appointment in the basic pay scale (BPS) 16 and 17. Moreover, they said the finance division had also created and notified posts for them.

When contacted, Secretary Education Waseem Ajmal Chaudhry told Dawn that he had directed for putting up the regularisation case, but it was pointed out to him that the court had directed that the government should regularise the teachers. As per a judgement of the Supreme Court in the Mustafa Impex case, the government means only the federal cabinet.

“It will be sent on Monday (6thNov) and in the next cabinet meeting it is likely to be approved. If we keep in mind the time of approval of minutes of the cabinet, it may take another two weeks or so.

“But that is what the due process recommended by court. I foresee no legal hindrance but they might have to wait for another couple of weeks,” the secretary education said.

However, the decision has put a question mark on the recent regularisation of 137 daily-wage teachers in which approval from the federal cabinet was not sought.

During the tenure of the PPP from 2008-13, a cabinet committee headed by Syed Khursheed Shah was established for the regularisation of daily wagers and contractual employees.

Tens of thousands of employees were regularises in dozens of ministries and divisions. In the education ministry, a number of employees/teachers were also regularised, but scores of others were left as the tenure of the PPP ended.

However, the PML-N government, which remained in power till 2018, did not resume the process of regularisation.

In 2018-19, the teachers approached the IHC which directed the ministry to refer their cases to FPSC.

The FPSC held tests but almost half of the teachers, majority of whom were notified, did not sit the tests and interviews which were completed in September 2023.

A teacher, requesting anonymity, said the FPSC issued a list of candidates who failed to clear the tests. They included some of the notified teachers.

“We were hopeful that we will be regularised within days as FPSC on Sept 26 notified us [227 teachers] for the service. But the ministry regularised 137 teachers who were not recommended by the FPSC. Astonishingly, some of the teachers, who have been regularised last month, had failed in the FPSC exam. We don’t know why we are not being regularised despite passing the FPSC exam and even after creation of posts for us by the finance division.”

He also asked why 137 teachers who had refused to sit the FPSC exam and those who failed were regularised without approval of the federal cabinet.

Published in Dawn, November 5th, 2023