Students worried by teachers’ strike

GARDEZ (PAN): A number of school students in Gardez, the capital of southeastern Paktia province, on Tuesday voiced concerns they might fail an upcoming entry test if teachers continued with their strike.

Nearly, 500 of schoolteachers have been on strike for the past three days against non-distribution of residential plots to them by the government. They have vowed not to return to work as long as their demand was not met.

Mohammad Akram, a 12th grade student at the Abdul Hadi Gardezi High School, feared: “Most students may fail their matriculation exams if teachers don’t complete the course in time.”

Noor Wali, a student at Taj Robawee High School, asked the government to meet the strikers’ demand in the interest of pupils. He suggested teachers should explore legal ways of resolving their problems.

Lal Mohammad, a teacher at the Abdul Hai Gardezi School, said he was distributed a land plot in Banozi area, south of the provincial capital, five years ago. He has also paid the money to the municipality.

But area residents took the plot after he launched construction work on it, the teacher complained, saying he was yet to be given an alternative piece of land.   

His colleague Sher Alam alleged the government had been holding out pledges over the past five years to allot teachers land plots, but no practical step had been taken so far.

Education department officials were not immediately available for comments. Education Director Eng. Mehrabuddin Shafaq recently said they had discussed with the Ministry of Defence allocation of the land for a teachers’ housing scheme.

mm/mud

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