Rani Andaleeb
Sometimes your success gets in the way of your job. Seemingly great people are also victims of professional jealousy and mental illnesses. I do freelance journalism and write regular blogs for Tribal News Network. Along with this, I also write for a newspaper in our neighboring country, India. This year I had the opportunity to go to Turkey for the polio program on behalf of VOA, which was a great honor for me. After this happy journey, people's narrow-mindedness and negative thinking came to the fore.
Along with freelance work, I have been working as an admin in a private school for the past several years. After returning from Turkey, the behavior of the owners including the school principal had changed. They started mentally torturing me in different ways. The principal would check my every work again and again and without fail would say that my mind was elsewhere.
Whenever my blog or any other feature was published, I would be targeted that day, especially in the meeting. Mirwais, who owns the school, used to joke in front of all the teachers that Rani doesn't know who she writes for, I never read and nobody reads her. But I have never been tolerant of these things, because people with a sense of inferiority and failure have nothing but criticism.
Also Read: Crisis Unfolds: Displaced Families in Khyber District Battle Bitter Cold, Lack Shelter
I was bullied in every way but I have one rule that I never give up so the school owners, Mirwais and Sohail, and principal Shoaib, sent one of their servants named Asghar to the girls' section for this purpose: give her (i.e. me) trouble so much that this girl herself resigns because they have no justification to dismiss her from school.
Asghar started harassing not only me but all the teachers in different ways. He would go and sit in their class, sometimes he would sit in the staff room. There was also a washroom, so the female teachers could not go to the staff room alone. How could they go to the washroom in front of a stranger? My first altercation with him was that "Asghar Sahib! Don't sit like this in the staff room, the teachers complain to me." But Asghar said: "I have been put here by the owners."
Asghar used to tell the teachers that you are healthy, why? He would say to someone that you are very weak, don't you eat or drink?
One day I received a call from an international media organization. As I moved to one side to talk on the phone call, Asghar stood behind me, listening to me, which was an unethical act. There was a lot of discussion with him on this too. When I complained to Sohail and Shoaib, instead I was given an explanation call. Because I am in administration, we are allowed to use mobile.
On the morning of 2nd December, when I reached the school gate with my 3 nephews, the school watchman stopped us there saying that we could not enter. I felt so disgusted with what he told me that I immediately took out my mobile phone from my purse and said: "Well! What you are saying, say again why the principal of the school forbade me to come to school. I do audio recording or I make videos."
All the people there were watching. I said to the school uncle in front of everyone: "Say all these things now!" So the watchman got scared, he ran to the other side and said I can't say this in front of all of them.
According to the watchman, the principal said that Rani did not understand anything, and now she should not come inside this gate. I was teaching in this school for many years. So what was that? Are the schools so good that they pay for free? I have not seen any organization where money is given for free.
I was quitting my job but for the sake of my 3 nephews, I was putting up with the rigors of school so that they wouldn't lose their year. But along with me, these children have also been expelled from school and are also refusing to pay 2 months' salary. An important thing is that they also have my original educational credentials. They also refuse to give these credentials.
The matter does not end here. I don't give up so easily. I am not worried about going to work but I am sad about losing my dignity, and for my 3 nephews who lost one year. Provincial Ombudsman Rukhshanda Naz has spoken very satisfactorily in this regard. She has assured full cooperation from her side. Perhaps I am among the few women who have filed a case for damages. Hope I will get justice.
