Langlands teachers explain reasons to oppose principal
CHITRAL: The Langlands Teachers Association on Sunday explained why Principal Carey Schofield has become unacceptable to the teaching and non-teaching staff of the institution.
In a statement, the association said apart from alleged financial embezzlement she lives a luxurious life in the backward Chitral, and a major chunk of the school fund was being spent on her and her personal employees.
Mismanagement and irregularities
1. The principal is not a professional educationist, and has only some experience in journalism
2. She is aged over 65 years
3. She runs the school in an authoritarian and dictatorial way
4. The salary structure in the school is not based on academic and professional qualification and years of service
5. Teachers are not given their fundamental right of casual leave, annual increment and extra-duty allowance
6. She behaves with teachers unprofessionally and in a rude way
7. She has never organized teacher professional development programmes/workshops
8. School is run through a spy system, and on a divide and rule policy
9. There is a staff house where she lives but non-local teachers are forced to reside outside
10. The views/suggestions of the teachers regarding their problems are not listened
11. She creates a tense and panic-like environment in the school
12. There is an “attitude allowance” in the school to make the employees submissive which doesn’t exist across the world
13. When a teacher reasons on any issue or problem s/he is targeted psychologically and financially
14. There is an unequal distribution of workload among teachers
15. Teachers are asked to keep students silent inside classes whether they learn or not
16. Most of the teachers haven’t been given appointment letters till now
17. There is no system of teachers appreciation and performance evaluation system
18. There is no clean and hygienic water supply system for the school community
Issues and problems of students
1. The principal does not bother even to listen to students’ problems, and when students talk about it they are suppressed
2. At the time of admission, students are not provided prospectus about school basic rules. And students are made to agree (getting their sign on the time of admission)
3. Inappropriate sports timing badly affects their education and academic performance
4. Heavy fines on students during winter coaching classes
5. Destroying self-esteem of students in front of their parents and fellows on petty issues
6. Uniforms provided from school are poor in quality, and huge in prices
7. Inserting school monogram in stationery are hugely charged
8. There are no rules promoting a child from one class to another
9. After placement test merit-list is not displayed, and it indicates merit violation clearly
10. There are no co-curricular activities (science exhibition, Bazm-e-Adab, quiz and literary competitions) to identify their hidden skills and polish their creativity. They are even not allowed to participate in such events in other schools.
11. Students are not allowed to apply for international scholarship i.e. YES
12. There is no hostel and examination hall even funds released specifically for them
13. There are no healthy food items in canteen for students, even the canteen manager is not allowed to bring different items
14. Parents Day has not been organized for many years
15. There is neither a computer lab nor internet facility, and there is no teacher for computer literacy of students
16. The transport system and buses are highly unsatisfactory
17. Students are overloaded in buses
18. Students are hugely charged for heating
19. Students are forced for sports, and during sports day and tournaments they are not provided meal
20. Students are forced to wearing woolen cap even in mid-June.
Problems of drivers and security staff
1. There is no instant repair of buses on time when notified, and then they are poorly repaired.
2. All security guards have 12 thousands monthly salary for 12 hours duty. They are neither food nor tea. The government has specified minimum salary at Rs17,500.
3. Three drivers have been terminated when they provided lift to a family member, a student, sick, and old man
4. There are no conductors with buses, and teachers work as conductors.
Thanks to the teachers for standing against the irregularities and mismanagement. This is also the right time to inform the public about the teacher’s efforts and share success rate of SSC and FA/FSc results. As far as i know, none of the last year’s district toppers of SSC examination was from Langland’s school. Can anyone share which school topped in FA/FSc last year?
School is like a home and teachers ,students and non traching staff are considered members of the family.In family matter each individial is respected,encouraged,and enabled for the future.In the recent senerio of the Langlands school and college the gulf is clearly visible that the school administration has failed to touch the hearts of the members.When we mathematically culculate majority are against the principal.Here a big question arises if the principal has returned how can she face the members and vice versa.
I am not supporting either party. Just writing a few lines as a neutral Chitrali person.
Regardless of who should lead the school, we must realize that the school has not been able to deliver good quality education as per the mission of this school. The quality of education has been deteriorating day by day. On the other hand, it us gradually becoming inaccessible for those who don’t have approach to the school leadership and others who can influence admissions in the school.
An educational institution like this can’t be run with the directions of the individuals. Certain school policies and procedures must be in place for running such a big school. After that individuals come and leave but the school will continue to deliver. If you look at other school system such as the Aga Khan Schools, they have put in place systems which help the school leadership and teachers to manage the school. On the other hand, there are strong professional development programmes for the school leaders and teachers. If this school has to perform it must be transformed completely. Handing over the school to the government may results in good salary, job security for the teachers. But the school doesn’t necessarily provide quality to the students. Look at the government schools, they haven’t been able to deliver. Neither the current school structure not the government education department has the capacity to improve the school. If we want quality, we may request the Aga Khan Education Service Pakistan to take over the school, conduct screening of the existing teachers and replace those who are not able to deliver, replace them with good quality teachers and transform the school as a quality school. Otherwise, the local people in the surrounding of Chitral will continue to receive mediocre education and the people in the valleys will get quality education.
I was deeply shocked to see this chart,how miss carey ran this school for four five years with these rules?The idea of spoil the child and spare the rod is still being practised in this school.Each point contradicts pakistan educational policy and basic human rights.Now a days all institutes are being run in democratic and sharing bases,the idea of boss is always right has gone.Our british principal should have run this school according to modern administrative way taking all the teachers on board,creating the spirit of team work but all this points show that she is a dictator not a principal.If i were there i would have opposed her in each point.
100%right.
All the points in the complaint list need to be looked into. However the first two points do not appeal to me. 1. “The principal is not a professional educationist”. The principal needs rather to be a good administrator. Maj Langlands was a professional educationist but under him the school was destroyed because he was not a good administrator.
The second point reads “She is aged having sixty five years”. What was your favourite Langland sahib. Was he a teen- ager? He was nearing hundred when principal. If age mattered Donald Trump would not be president of US at 84 and Mahatir PM of Malaysia at 93.
Some of the other points can also be debated while some do have weight in them and need to be looked into and rectified, may be by the sitting principal herself.