Islamabad: Spending over the ten years in the noble profession of teaching, losing a job in every summer vacation and searching for a new one after the break, Atta Ullah came to the conclusion that the decision of becoming a teacher in the private sector was an unforgivable sin.
Residing in Bhara Kahu, a suburban area of Islamabad, 38-years old Attah Ullah nowadays is on a job hunt again after the summer break but couldn’t succeed so far. In his 10 years of career, he spent one summer vacation with job security but was not paid that time too.
He said that he does tuition to put the meal on the table for his family but he lives in Bhara Kahu, where poor people cannot pay a handsome amount for tuition. He only charges 500 to 1000 for all subjects from each child.
Talking about Teachers’ Day, which is celebrated on 5th of this month every year to recognize, evaluate, and enhance the status of teachers around the globe, he sarcastically smiled and said, “I know about the importance of this profession but unfortunately there is no respect for teachers, especially in the private sector. We get the cards from students on Teachers’ Day, which pour like cold drops of water on our hearts.”
Atta is running a tuition center in his locality and also offers free help to deserving students and orphans. He got an interview call at another private school in Bani Gala and hoped to get it this time. He said the inflation rate is very high and now the current electricity bills are another headache for the poor class of this country. He was of the view, “I tried multiple times for a job in the government sector but couldn’t get the one. The teachers working in the government sector or in high reputation private schools are far better as they enjoy paid summer vacations and have job security as well.”
Another female teacher told the World Echo News on condition of not to be named (fearing job loss) as she is a senior Urdu teacher in a reputable private school here in Islamabad, said that its true private schools exploit poor teachers in many ways. “School administration fires a few teachers to save the money paid in form of salaries and hire new one after the break. Due to the high rate of unemployment, they get huge number of applications for jobs,” she said.
It is important to mention here that the purpose of World Teachers’ Day is this day is also viewed as a chance to think about and resolve problems relating to teachers and education. In the year 1994, the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) proclaimed October 5 as World Teachers’ Day. This year the World Teachers’ Day is being celebrated worldwide with the theme “The change of education begins with teachers”.
