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Karachi, December 30, 2017 (PPI-OT):Sindh Cabinet has approved regularization of NTS-pass contract teachers through an assembly act and simultaneously a comprehensive education reforms bill would also be presented in the assembly for improvement of overall education system in public sector.
This item was taken up by Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah as additional item in the cabinet meeting. He said that the NTS pass contract teachers and the contract teachers of University of Sindh are about 2100. He added that in the recruitment rules of the teachers there are some conditions under which they have to qualify a test for regularization.
The chief minister said that education is the matter of life and death for people of province. “I have taken it up as a mission to improve education in public sector for which I need support of cabinet members, academicians, civil society and parents to achieve the goal,” he said.
The chief minister also directed chief secretary and his team to prepare a comprehensive education reforms draft bill in which reforms in the entire education system right from text books, educational environment in schools, capacity building of teachers, trainings, performance based incentives in the shape of increments and promotions, in-service trainings and refresher courses and establishment of high standard teachers training academy on PPP mode etc. are covered thoroughly. But “before, all this prepare a bill for regularization of NTS pass contract teachers,” he said.
The cabinet members said that MQM-London Chief Altaf Hussain has been involved in anti-state activities, therefore any building, ground, area or such other thing named after him should be changed forthwith. The chief minister on the recommendation of the cabinet directed the chief secretary to prepare a list of such buildings etc. behind the name of Altaf Hussain so that their names could be changed
The Sindh Welfare and Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act-2017 was presented in the cabinet. The chief minister said that the Treaty of Amsterdam which came into force on May 1, 1999 includes a protocol on animal welfare designed to ensure improved protection and respect for the welfare of animals as sentient beings.
He said that animals have inalienable right to live in an environment which is free from abuse. They have right to adequate nourishment and appropriate shelter, treatment and care. He added that harmonious existence of all living things contributes to a healthy sense of respect for animals and violation of these fundamental principles would result in degradation of natural and moral fabric of society.
Secretary Wildlife Asif Hyder Shah giving details said that the proposed law would also made it illegal to cruelly beat, kick, ill-treated, over-ride, overload, torture, infuriate or terrify any animal. He added the other things would also be illegal include to cause unnecessary suffering through transportation; take part in fighting or baiting of animals; administer poisonous or injurious substances without good reason; permit operation to be carried out without due care and humanity; course and haunt a captive animal that is liberated in an injured, mutilated or exhausted conditions, or cause and hunt a captive animal in an enclosed space from which it has no reasonable chance.
The cabinet approved the concept of the law and appreciated the efforts and formed a committee under local government minister as chairman with members Minister Livestock and secretary Wildlife to go through the draft once again and meanwhile frame rules so that it could be passed in the assembly in the next session and become operational. On the agenda of the meeting includes merger of Summit Bank with Sindh Bank, Sindh Police (Posting, Transfer and Tenure) Rules, 2017, Amendment in SPPRA Act, 2009, Sindh Welfare and Prevention of cruelty to Animal Act, 2017.
The cabinet approved the minutes of the last cabinet meeting and then took up the agenda of merger of Summit Bank with Sindh Bank. The chief Minister told the cabinet that the Sindh Bank was established on the occasion of death anniversary of Shaheed Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto in 2011 by establishing its first branch at Naudero in which President [former] Asif Ali Zardari had opened his first inaugural account. The bank has established 300 branches within its first three years, he said. The Summit bank is also a newly established bank and its merger with Sindh bank would boost the business further.
The meeting was told that the board of Sindh Bank Ltd has already approved merger of Sindh Bank Ltd into Summit Bank Ltd for which a swap ratio of 1:4.17 has been determined, that is one ordinary share of Sindh Bank is approved to be issued for every 4.17 ordinary shares of summit bank.
Talking about structure of the transition is, the chief minister said that Summit bank would merge into Sindh Bank which would be the surviving entity. Sindh Bank would have majority representation on the board of directors and dominant shareholding would continue to be held by Sindh government. Sindh Bank, as the surviving entity, would apply for the combined shares to be listed on the Pakistan Stock Exchange through technical listing.
The cabinet unanimously approved the merger of Summit Bank into Sindh Bank. The cabinet also took up Sindh Police (Posting, Transfer and Tenure) Rules, 2017 for discussion but most of the cabinet members said that they have not been given the draft rules, therefore they were not prepared to discuss them in the meeting. The chief minister expressing his displeasure allowed 15 days to Law Minister to circulate the rules among the cabinet members and then bring it into the next cabinet meeting.
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