Dozens of female teachers in Quetta, the capital of Balochistan, are protesting for permanent orders. Teachers staged a sit-in protest in front of Quetta Press Club on Monday in heavy rain and cold weather to press the authorities to issue them permanent orders.
The protesters turned to the Balochistan Assembly as the police used violence against them. Some female protesters were injured as a result of a clash with lady policewomen.
In the video shared on twitter, a teacher is saying that it has been five years but they are not getting permanent orders and their salaries are also stopped for more than a year. While answering a question, she says that police has used brutality during the protest and has arrested some of the teachers. “We are marching towards Assembly to present the situation in front of the Chief Minister of Balochistan,” she said.
Videos circulating on social media sites show the clash between protesters and the police.
The protesters said that police used violence and detained several protesters. However, government authorities have not yet commented on the incident.
The teachers were also carrying their children during the protest demonstration outside the press club.
Female teachers demanded of the Balochistan government to issue them permanent orders. “We are protesting for the last five days”, Farzana, a female teacher from Quetta said. She said despite repeated assurances, the education department has not issued them permanent orders.
It is important to mention, around 1,500 teachers most of them females recruited under the Global Partnership for Education (GPE) program in Balochistan in 2015. “Our contract orders expired and we are not receiving any salary for the last few months”, Samina bibi, another female teacher from Khuzdar lamented.
The government had agreed with GPE that it would pay the salaries of the employees after the expiry of the project in Balochistan. However, the provincial government has recently turned down the request of teachers for payment of salaries.
Balochistan education minister, Yar Mohd Rind had visited the protest camp of teachers in Quetta at least a month earlier and assured them permanent orders.
“Despite assurances by the Minister, we are not getting any orders”, Farana, a teacher from Khuzdar complained. She said all the teachers recruited through the National Testing Service (NTS) five years back on merit throughout Balochistan.