Punjab Study

RAWALPINDI:January 28: Teachers’ community has demanded the Punjab government to allow scholarships to all students, instead of only those who achieve 60 per cent marks in the Rawalpindi Board examinations (9th and 10th).

The demand was made by teachers of Rawalpindi district headed by Punjab SES Additional President Chaudhry Mohammad Yasin, while talking to journalists here on Friday. Teachers’ Association, Rawalpindi District, President Sajid Iqbal Janjua, General Secretary Farman Sli Abbasi, and member executive body Chaudhry Mohammad Daud Khan were also present on the occasion.

They expressed concern over the ban imposed by the government some three years ago, which has deprived hundreds of children of serving educators, retired teachers and the deceased employees.

They said that the scholarship is awarded to the students through benevolent funds deducted from the salaries of teachers every month. It is our right to decide whether to give or not the scholarships to the students. It is our amount and the government has nothing to do with it, they said. As benevolent fund is deducted from our salaries, we call upon Punjab Chief Minister Mian Shahbaz Sharif to extend the scholarship to all students, who clear the board exams even though they achieve less than 60 per cent. The mandatory law of attaining 60 per cent marks should be lifted immediately, they stressed.

To a question, Chaudhry Mohammad Yasin informed that over the last three years the teachers had been demanding during negotiations with concerned officials and through letters for lifting the ban but to date no positive step had been taken in this regard. However, if the government fails to lift the ban in the next two weeks, they threatened starting protest movement, boycott of classes, and staging of sit-ins in all parts of Punjab.The news..