2,000 'flexible' lecturers risk losing jobs

The government on Tuesday informed the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Assembly that it would not convert the status of around 2,000 employees of the education department, initially hired as temporary or "flexible" lecturers into ad hoc positions. The K-P Higher Education Department hired the lecturers under a stop-gap arrangement to address teacher shortages in government colleges. The treasury faced an awkward situation in the provincial assembly when one of its members supported a calling attention notice submitted by the opposition. Taking the floor, PPP parliamentary leader Ahmed Kundi, in his notice, stated that the government had allocated funds to address shortage of teachers in government degree colleges and recruited approximately 2,000 flexibly hired lecturers. "Currently, these lecturers are teaching BS and AD programs in 330 colleges." He said there was ambiguity with regard to the duration of their employment and salaries, urging the government to convert their postings to ad hoc basis to ensure job security at least for one year. He added that if the lecturers were dismissed, students' education would be severely affected, as the lecturers had become an integral part of the academic system. In response, Law Minister Aftab Alam clarified that recruitment in the Higher Education Department follows a formal procedure, while the flexible hiring policy was introduced only for emergency situations to prevent disruption of students' academic time. He stated that, according to the government policy, the lecturers could not be directly converted to permanent or ad hoc positions. He explained that ad hoc appointments were often challenged in courts, increasing pressure on the government to regularise them. Moreover, the minister said the provincial salary budget has already risen significantly. He added that there was a clear procedure for appointing permanent employment and that is through the Public Service Commission. Supporting Kundi's calling attention notice, treasury member Munir Luqmani said that if the government needs to recruit lecturers again, it should first adjust those currently serving as teachers through an appropriate mechanism. Due to prolonged discussion and absence of the Minister for Higher Education, the presiding officer postponed the matter until the next session of the assembly. Resolution The assembly also passed a unanimous resolution, urging the federal government to take immediate action regarding the payment of wages and release of 6,000 Pakistani workers imprisoned in Saudi Arabia. The resolution was presented by ANP member Nisar Baz. It stated that the house expressed concern over the situation of thousands of Pakistani workers in Saudi Arabia who are facing various difficulties. Despite fulfilling all legal requirements, they are experiencing delays in wage payments and other issues. It was reported that around 6,000 workers have not received their salaries for several months, causing severe distress and financial pressure on their families. The assembly urged the federal government to intervene immediately in the matter and, through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, contact Saudi authorities to ensure the payment of wages to Pakistani workers. The resolution also demanded that emergency measures be taken to resolve the issues faced by the affected workers so that they can resume their employment activities with dignity.