Defending the undefended

            In my opinion, at present the most deprived and taunted class of Government Servants is the Primary School Teachers, previously called PTC and now PST. When I have such kind of opinion about these neglected and ignored, it has solid reasons not only from my own experiences but also from the comments of others. Mr. Dost Muhammad, a writer in the Daily Mashriq quoted his friend and termed this class of teachers as “Pakistan Thabahkun Company” meaning Destroyer of Pakistan Company.

            When I compare the opinion of the writer’s friend with those of Lieutenant General (R) Jehan Dad Khan, Ex-Governor Sindh and Mr. Qaim Jan Khan Ex-Chairman Service Tribunal NWFP, then it seems to me that the friend of this writer was devoid of any knowledge and wisdom.

            Mr. Jehan Dad, in a TV interview, said “I am tatarian”. The host asked, “What is meant by tatarian”. He said, “I sat on Jute mats and got knowledge”. He showed good opinion of his teachers.

            Similarly, Mr. Qaim Jan Khan, while hearing my case in 1998 said that in foreign Countries, three departments are highly respected. One Police, other Judiciary and the third Education. He also said that in our Country all the departments have been destroyed.

            The rulers in Pakistan made mockery of Education and allowed diverse kinds of Education systems and medium of instruments. Educational Institutions of the upper class were heavily funded and those of the poor were badly neglected. The rulers valued the English language and gave preference to those who could speak and write English fluently and that is why people preferred to send to these highly valued institutions. Those got education in the upper private institutions proud being the students of such and such institutions while consider those of the Urdu medium or Pashto medium students of inferior class.

            When the Education is on the basis of money then no power on earth can prevent this Country leading to Terrorism and Extremism. The haves and haves not would also remain at war and the Government shall use huge fund on the extermination of youth after every 10—15 years in the name of war against terrorism and extremism. Many talented people would use their talent for negative purposes just to sustain their lives. The fund which was necessary to be used for the education of the people would be used for their annihilation.

Mr. Afzal Butt, the President National Press Club Rawalpindi, while lamenting the deplorable living condition of the Teachers presented a programme on A-TV and made a teacher a representative of the thousands of teachers. In that programme, Mr. Afzal Butt showed that a teacher is living from hand to mouth and has been compelled by the circumstances to do extra work in addition to his normal. It was the deep sense of realization of the problems of the teachers by Mr. Afzal Butt which compelled him to show such a programme.

Mr. Akbar Khan, a senior journalist from Peshawar once on PTV Peshawar Station in a programme with the Minister of Education some years ago became sentimental and said to him that the Government was giving such a salary to a Teacher which did not make up even his most urgent needs. He could not purchase shoes and cap simultaneously. How such a teacher who is himself a victim of financial conditions could make a nation of pride. How he could devote his full attention to the children of nation when his own requirement are torturing him. The Minister fully agreed with him but did nothing.

Almost all the people have much regard for the teachers except the high ups of their own Education Department and the politicians. The high ups of Education Department consider the teachers especially the Primary School Teachers for the low literacy rate just to cover their own big scandals while the politicians simply get the sympathies of teachers and use them in elections and then forget them till the next election. In the previous Governments, financial corruption had become a fashion and each Government fully participated in the lootings in collaboration with officials of the Education Department. In Pashto language there is a maxim that “everything was eaten by the crows while bad name was given to the “Kharary” a kind of desert bird.

Even a police constable said to me in 1993 that the Government never consider the strike of any Government Servant except the teachers and reminded me the strike of teachers in 1982 when the teachers of whole of Pakistan came out for their rights even in the Martial Law regime when the majority of the political parties had gone in hibernation. General Ziaul Haq asked General Arif to sit with the teachers and find their problems and solve them. As a result of the negotiations, all the Government Servants along with the teachers were given fringe benefits which the people still remember.

One of my friends, who is now a retired teacher told me in 1993 that All Teachers Association consisted Teachers from Primary level up to the College but it became weak when the College Professors and Lecturers made their own associations, Head Masters made their own association and thus the ATA was left to the Primary and Secondary level Teachers. Even in ATA the higher grades’ persons preferred their problems for the solution to the Government and ignored the smaller ones. The difference in the Grades among the teachers made different groups which increased their struggle for their own benefits and the Government always preferred the College and University teachers while giving benefits to the Teachers.

I praised Dr. Ishrat Hussain only for this reason that he objectively analysed the situations and got information about everything himself and did not rely on any one. He knew the value of the Education that is why he kept it on his agenda that the uplift of the Country is mainly depended on it.

In foreign Countries, when teachers are promoted from lower pay scales to upper pay scales they are sent from the University and College levels to the Secondary and Primary levels.

The power of teachers has been underestimated by the persons in the power corridors but it is a reality that today’s Primary School Teacher is not that teacher either having read up to 4^th or 8^th Class. At the Primary level M. A B. Ed. They are the victims of the wrong promotion policy. Formerly, they had the chances to get promotion to upper grades but now they have been compelled to remain on the low pay scale with big qualification which is the worst kind of exploitation.

Mr. Dost Muhammad, if you thing that they are not doing well, it is not their guilt alone. Those who can afford the expenditure of Private school do not send their children to Government Schools. If the teachers are not doing well, they are the appointee of the Government and only the Government is responsible for bringing such teachers who, according to you, have destroyed the institutions. In my opinion, the majority of the teachers are doing well but due to the non-cooperation of the society, the job of the teachers is not bringing fruits.

At the University level, selected students are allowed to study every year but how many people of extraordinary conduct and character have been produced especially after the creation of network of private schools at the bottom level. To what extent the University do justice between regular student and a privately appearing student. The papers of the School in the Board examinations are checked by other teachers while there should be a system that the papers of one University students should be checked by another University teachers so that to assess honestly the jobs of both the teachers and students.

If you still consider that the Primary School Teacher is not performing his duty rightly then ask the Government to appoint the present Professors and Lecturers the Heads of the Primary Schools on their own pay scales in order to run them according to the expectations of the Government and those who criticise the performance of the Primary School Teachers. It is very easy to criticise but it is very difficult to correct the situations. Every new Government comes with new promises but is sent fully condemned.

Is it not duplicity in the conduct and character of those who send their own children to educational institutions of national and international repute while prescribe Pashto language for the children of the rest of the people? Is it not a deep national conspiracy against the poor to disable their children in the presence of the children of the influential while appearing in the same examination? This is my 22 years’ experience that intelligent and stupid children exist in both rich and poor people. The children of poor are compelled by their poverty to discontinue their study while the children of rich achieve the degrees of their choice.

After sufficient thinking, I have reached to the conclusion that if the present Governments both at Centre and Province failed to deliver good results then General Musharraf, who has also shown willingness to come back, shall be democratically elected by using the force of the teachers because as the citizen of Pakistan, everyone is free to vote and support a person or a party of his choice. Then the whole Country would realize that how powerful is the PRIMARY SCHOOL TEACHER.

Manzoor Ahmad Yousafzai

B.Sc; L.L.B. M.A. Political Science