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| Don't Apply for teaching jobs in Pakistan 2021- 2022, |
Imran Khan has addressed different vulnerable groups through his Ehasas Program a welcome move that has come rather too late. However, a clear lack of this grant allocation is bestowed into the education sector and its stakeholders, particularly contract base visiting teachers are hit adversely due to this injustice.
Even if a qualified often over-qualified especially in Pakistan, the teacher does manage to find a job despite corruption, lack of transparent processes of hiring, and the demand for a solid reference connection’ and ‘favors’ that oil the system, life ahead is mostly unstable, unsustainable and undignified.
There are many stories of ad hoc teachers from large central universities such as Quaid- E-Azam University Islamabad and Punjab University (PU) Lahore— which sustains its pedagogic structure by overworking and getting minimum salaries and remaining temporary teachers for years without getting permanent. In these above-mentioned educational institutes, teachers have been promptly dismissed from their contracts at will and rarely get paid during the summer holidays. Similar stories have surfaced from many schools in Pakistan, where visiting teachers were forced to start sewing, selling fruit, making PPE equipment, and doing daily wage labor. They have even put on challan duty against their will, a far cry from their usual work. But stories from smaller colleges in provinces like Sindh are less publicized.
1
Teaching Jobs in Sindh Education Sector.
In Sindh, teaching has often called a noble
profession, perhaps after the civil service and the medical profession,
teaching is considered a "noble" work, but while teachers are often
praised for their service, few pays heed to have real problems. Education is
also understood as a path to socioeconomic mobility and a guide to success.
The Constitution of Pakistan guarantees the right to equal pay for equal work, But since the structural shifts of 2008, the entire economy in general and the education sector, in particular, has seen a decisive shift towards discrimination among teachers based on their Mujahir and Sindhi status. After rapid privatization of the education system, two categories of teachers have essentially been recognized: permanent/regular teachers and contractual/guest/para teachers. Studies have suggested that qualifications required to teach, workload, and work hours are the same for both regular and para/contract teachers in Pakistan.
2
A Deplorable Situation in Punjab For Teachers.
The situation of temporary teachers in Punjab is no exception. Furthermore, the pandemic has worsened things. Even in the 2020 lockdown, the temporary teacher faculty in Punjab has suffered from issues like lack of job security, under-payment, and delay in salaries among others.
3
Teaching Jobs are outdated in Punjab.
The Corona Virus second wave and ill-managed borders only exacerbated their problems and inevitably became the last straw. In Multan, a guest teacher was forced to sell mangoes to survive. Others are doing agricultural labor and daily wage work for their survival. More than 350 non-permanent teachers have changed their profession due to Covid-19 to sustain their family members, due to the lack of government support. These poor teachers are demanding a special incentive from the government.
4
Demands of Guest Teachers in Federal is on
Decline.
Various guest teacher organizations have been protesting this continued discrimination. They are demanding timely payment of the salary, job security, the conversion of teachers for contractual /to permanent/regular apprenticeship positions by filling existing positions, equal pay from Imran Khan PTI government.
A comprehensive solution must be found to
make such teachers permanent to give them a sense of security, dignity, and
respect. Visiting teachers are treated as mercenaries who are paid rarely
and inadequately for their services and then dismissed. Lastly, this type of second-class treatment to
teachers as they are some kind of second-class citizens also affects their students, who remain disturbed and unable to form a connection with their teachers due to the constant rotation of their subject teachers.
So, the only result we can draw is that teaching in 2021 is not a good career choice in Pakistan. One must avoid coming into this field as there are no incentives for teachers at all.