ISLAMABAD:May 28: College teachers working at different institutes running under the Federal Directorate of Education (FDE) have expressed reservations over ‘pick and choose’ policy in upgrading of their scales. The decision of upgrading the teachers was announced in 2010.

Only schoolteachers have been upgraded so far while around 700 teachers of federal government institutions and 1,300 from model set-up are still waiting to be upgraded. According to the college teachers, the officials of Capital Administration and Development Division (CADD) in the recently held ‘Thanksgiving Ceremony’ only invited the teachers from model colleges and the federal government institutions, ignoring the college teachers and their representative body.

Talking to APP, Federal Government College Teachers Association (FGCTA) President Professor Zahid Ali Shah said, “When the schoolteachers were celebrating their upgradation at the Convention Centre, the college teachers were kept away and treated like step children.”

FGCTA General Secretary Professor Tahir Mahmood said, “According to the directive issued by the Prime Minister’s Secretariat regarding upgradation of teachers on February 17, the relevant department is adopting a pick-and-choose policy. Schoolteachers under the FDE were upgraded whereas college teachers are still waiting for the upgradation, which was announced simultaneously for all teachers on November 8, 2010.”

The Time Scale Formula for promotion was approved but not being implemented in its true spirit, he said.

The authorities concerned at the AGPR are helpless in understanding the chaotic situation created by the Education Wing of the CADD and the Finance Division by notifying “upgradation through the Time Scale”, the term which does not even exist in financial and audit rules administering the whole official routine in the country, he lamented.

FGCTA Senior Vice President Professor Khalida Makhdoom and Vice President Professor Yasmeen Bokhari claimed that Minister for CADD Nazar Muhammad Gondal, during his meeting with the FGCTA office-bearers in his office on May 21 invited them to the ceremony and asked them to bring the college teachers. But they were not allowed to attend the ceremony. The FGCTA has asked the minister to look into the matter. app.