RAWALPINDI: The Lahore High Court Rawalpindi Bench on Tuesday temporarily suspended schoolteachers transfer orders passed by Education Department under relocation policy.

Justice Shoaib Saeed of the LHC Rawalpindi bench heard a petition filed by Punjab Teachers Union (PTU), Rawalpindi challenging the transfer orders of the education department.

The petitioners made the executive district officer (EDO), Education, Qazi Zahoorul Haq, secretary, Education (School) Jabbar Shaheen, district coordination officer (DCO) Sajid Zafar Dal as respondents.

The teachers through their counselapprised the courtthatunderrelocation policy the department had recently transferred around 500 teachers to far flung areas, which isagainst the spirit of the policy.

The plaintiffs further contended that under the policy, the education department also transferred dozens of teachers form elementary (middle) schools to primary school.

After hearing Chaudhry Noor Khan`s arguments, the court barred education department from implementing the orders for two weeks and sought reply from the Punjab education secretary (School).

Meanwhile, court directed the education department to revisit the policy to the satisfaction of teachers.

Talking to Dawn, EDO Qazi Zahoorul Haq said the court had suspended the orders just for two weeks.

`The Court has verbally directed us to suspend the order for 15 days and sought our comment. Our law department is in touch to get copy of the order,` he said and added that the department would apprise thecourt that all orders were made on merit.

The main respondent, PTU President, Raja Shahid Mubarik, told Dawn that under the relocation policy, government while violating merit, passed orders to transfer teachers in far flung areas with a view to maintaining 1:40 teacherstudents ratio in primary school and 1:50 in elementary school. He said that while passing orders of transfer, education department targeted junior most teachers.

He said that under this policy, one teacher is supposed to teach 50 students of elementary class, which will increase work load of teachers and at the same time affect the performance of students.

PTU president said that across the globe even in Asian countries, except Bangladesh, one teacher is supposed to teach maximum 25 students, but in Pakistan no one is bothering to touch this grave issue.