ISLAMABAD: Regularisation of 227 teachers, who cleared the Federal Public Service Commission (FPSC) exam and interviews, has been delayed as the meeting of the federal cabinet, which will approve their regularisation, could not be held for the last three weeks.

Caretaker Minister for Information Murtaza Solangi, while talking to Dawn, said the meeting of the federal cabinet was delayed as cabinet members approved “urgent matters” through circular.

He said that he was not in a position to confirm whether the meeting would be held in the coming week or not.

On the other hand, teachers, who had cleared the FPSC exam and interviews on the direction of the Islamabad High Court (IHC), have urged interim Education Minister Madad Ali Sindhi to take personal interest and play his role for the regularisation of their services.

Approval to be given by cabinet which has not met in last three weeks

During the tenure of Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), from 2008-13, a cabinet committee headed by Syed Khursheed Shah approved regularisation of daily-wage workers and contract employees.

As a result of the decision, tens of thousands of employees were regularised in dozens of ministries and divisions.

In the education ministry a number of teachers were regularised but a good number could not benefit from the relief because the tenure of PPP government came to an end.

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

The unregularised teachers then contacted the Islamabad High Court in 2018-19 which directed the ministry to refer their cases to the FPSC, which held tests but almost half of the teachers did not take the tests and interviews which completed in September 2023.

A teacher, requesting anonymity, said the FPSC issued a list of candidates who failed to clear the test, in which some of the notified teachers who appeared in the test were also included.

“We were hoping that we will be regularised within days as the FPSC notified us [227 teachers] as fit for service on Sept 26. But the ministry regularised 137 teachers who were earlier notified during the PPP tenure. Our case was referred to the federal cabinet. We have come to know that the matter of regularisation of teachers has been on the agenda of the cabinet meeting but unfortunately meeting is not being held for the last three weeks. We urge the education minister to get the approval through circulation if the meeting of federal cabinet is not going to be held this week,” he said.

Murtaza Solangi said in the past, meetings of the federal cabinet were held on a regular basis but it had not met in the last three weeks because of engagements of the prime minister and cabinet members.

“We have been taking urgent matters through circulation and approving them. I do not know whether the meeting will be held this week or not as the agenda is usually issued a day or two days before the meeting. However even if the meeting is not going to be held, the matter can be approved through circular,” he said.

An official of education ministry, wishing not to be quoted, said the ministry would inquire about the meeting of the federal cabinet on Monday.

“If there will be no meeting in the coming week, we will withdraw the already sent summary and then a fresh summery will be moved to approve the matter through circulation,” he said.

Published in Dawn, January 7th, 2024