Dialogue with teachers

Given the multifaceted teachers' movement, our entreaties have been with the prime minister to initiate an intervention at the highest level for an early resolution of their longstanding demands. It seems our call has been answered. We would hope that the prime minister will go the whole hog with her pursuit of the matter so that whatever recommendations emerge from the forthcoming dialogue between the teaching community leaders and the high level government committee will be implemented.

Let's not forget that Begum Zia's government has had the obligation in terms of their pre-2001 election manifesto to remove the disparity in the salaries and service conditions between the government and non-government teachers.

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It was a very wrong approach that on July 15 the police meted out ham-handed treatment to the peacefully agitating teachers. Since then, the teachers are taking a hard line presaging hunger strike and massive sit-in demonstrations. They have made it clear that unless the government makes a specific announcement by July 20 in regard to their demand for full pay support and other grievances they will be constrained to go for fast unto death programme any day between July 22 and 27. We are fully in sympathy with the legitimate demands of the non-government teachers and so are the public, but we would urge them not to demonstrate an ultimatum mentality, especially in view of the prospect for the prime minister's personal intervention.

The continuing closure of academic institutions has left hundreds and thousands of their pupils languishing in the backyards of life without anything worthwhile to do. We all have obligations to our children.