Sindh minister says music teachers cannot be issued joining letters

KARACHI: Sindh Education Minister Syed Sardar Ali Shah on Monday said the provincial government cannot issue joining letters to music teachers in view of a court ruling.

The teachers had cleared the IBA recruitment test for music two years ago and were issued offer letters, but the Sindh government later withheld their joining as their induction was challenged in court during the tenure of the caretaker government.

The Sindh High Court had subsequently struck down the entire hiring process.

Shah said that the decision to induct music teachers was taken in 2023 to promote creativity and mental development among schoolchildren.

“We felt in 2023 that music should be a part of schools to enhance children’s creativity and mental growth. That is why we created 750 posts for music teachers and 750 for other subjects,” he said.

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According to the minister, the recruitment process was conducted through IBA Sukkur, and even professional musicians took part in the test. “Out of the candidates, 319 who cleared the test were issued offer letters,” Shah added.

However, during the caretaker government, petitions were filed in court challenging all recruitments. “The Sindh High Court struck down the hiring process and directed the provincial government to re-advertise the posts,” he said.

Shah said he repeatedly advised the music teachers to approach the court since they were hired on merit, but the matter remained unresolved. “I kept sending my team and even asked the secretary to explain the facts, but the music teachers refused to meet,” he said.

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Reiterating the government’s position, the minister said: “We cannot give them joining against the court’s decision.”

He outlined two possible ways forward: “The first is that we conduct the test again through IBA. The second is that the inducted teachers challenge the matter in court. We cannot go against the court’s order.”

Calling the teachers “close to his heart,” Shah said the education department had already arranged various trainings for them and valued their role in schools.

Earlier, dozens of music teachers from across Sindh staged a protest outside the Karachi Press Club against the government’s failure to issue their joining letters. The teachers carried harmoniums and dholkis while chanting folk slogans.

Led by the All Sindh Music Teachers Association, they also sang traditional kalams and played instruments to highlight their demands. Later, they attempted to march on the Sindh Assembly, but police baton-charged them to stop their advance on Sarwar Shaheed Road near Coast Guard. The teachers then staged a sit-in, causing a crippling traffic jam and leaving commuters stranded for hours.

The protesting teachers said they had cleared the IBA recruitment test for music two years ago and even received offer letters, but their joining letters were never issued.

“We passed the test, we sold our instruments and jewelry to pursue this profession, we completed music courses and certificates — yet the government continues to deny us our rightful jobs,” lamented the demonstrators.

Well-known Sindhi folk artists, including Ustad Muhammad Hanif Lashari and Sindhi Adabi Sangat leader Asghar Baghi, also joined the protest in solidarity.

Lashari told reporters: “For two years, these young musicians have been waiting despite passing their exams and receiving offer letters. By ignoring them, the government is not just playing with their future, but also with the future of Sindh’s musical heritage.”

In 2022, a Sindh Assembly member belonging to Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP) had opposed the recruitment of music teachers in schools.

Then TLP lawmaker Mufti Muhammad Qasim had urged the provincial government not to hire music teachers, arguing that there was already a severe shortage of mathematics, science and Arabic teachers in schools.

Responding to the criticism, Sindh Education Minister Syed Sardar Ali Shah had said that Pakistan’s national anthem was also composed by a musician. He added that music went beyond “just singing and dancing,” noting that music teachers would also teach Naat, Hamd and Qawwali to students.