PTI MPA, nine teachers detained briefly for holding demo in red zone

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Police on Monday took Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) MPA Raja Azhar into custody in connection with holding a protest demonstration in one of the red zones of the city and for interfering in state affairs.Artillery Maidan SHO Abdul Ghaffar confirmed that the lawmaker and nine protesting teachers were taken into custody from the red zone, saying that all of the detainees were released shortly thereafter and that no case had been registered.MPA Azhar had joined the ongoing sit-in of teachers outside the Karachi Press Club (KPC) who were protesting against their forced dismissal from the Early Child Education Programme. The situation turned violent after the PTI leader along with the protesting teachers started marching towards the nearby red zone and pulled the detained teachers out of a police van.A heavy police contingent had already been deployed in the surroundings of the KPC. The law enforcers took action and detained Azhar and nine teachers when they tried to march on the Sindh Chief Minister House in a bid to make the government meet their demands.Provincial police chief IGP Dr Syed Kaleem Imam took notice of a viral video in which the PTI leader can be seen being moved aggressively by the police. The IGP also sought a detailed report from the District South SSP over the incident.On the other hand, the police said that the MPA was taken into custody over violating the rules regarding the red zone and for interfering in state affairs.This is not for the first time when the protesting teachers attempted to march towards the red zone. Four days ago the police had baton-charged the early childhood education teachers (ECETs) protesting outside the KPC for permanent jobs.The teachers were stopped from moving towards the CM House to convey their complaints and demands, with several of them, including five female teachers, being arrested.According to the teachers’ body, the government had appointed the ECETs in 2009 on a contractual basis to administer the Early Learning Programme (ELP) in the province under the National Education Policy 2009. The government had tasked the Sindh Education Foundation (SEF) with conducting interviews and selection tests for the recruitment of teachers.Later, on the orders of the then education minister, the SEF started the selection process and hired 300 teachers from five districts of the province: Tando Muhammad Khan, Naushahro Feroze, Khairpur, Ghotki and Badin.These teachers served at 30 Early Childhood Learning Centres established in each of the districts. According to the appointment letters, the teachers had been hired for one year on a contractual basis and their contracts were to be renewed if they wished to carry on with their services.The government, however, had appointed the teachers as an experiment to access the outcomes of the initiative. The government had also planned that if the projects were successful they would be made a part of the government-administered schooling system.However, after running 150 centres, the authorities decided not to launch any other centre and extended the ELP by establishing schools and nurseries in different parts of the province.

from The News International - Karachi https://ift.tt/2OIB2rz
The News International - Karachi