Crackdown: Education secy orders removal of primary school supervisors

Cases of corruption in education dept will be referred to anti-corruption dept

LARKANA: The provincial education secretary, Fazlullah Pechuho, has ordered the removal of all supervisors monitoring primary school activities and teachers' presence across Sindh. He directed all the district education officers to implement these orders immediately as new monitors are to be posted.

"If teachers' unions interfere in the smooth running of the system, their cases will also be referred to the anti-corruption [department] and strict action will be taken," he said, while addressing a teachers' training workshop at Circuit House. "National Testing Service (NTS) teachers should be given their due salaries and should be posted in schools where their services are needed."

Pechuho also visited an under-construction government girls high school in Naudero. He said that corruption in the education department will not be tolerated, adding that complaints received will now be forwarded to the anti-corruption department and FIRs will be registered against those found embezzling school management committee (SMC) funds.

The education secretary said that complaints have been received about NTS teachers' salaries being mismanaged and anyone found perpetrating such acts will be arrested, with cases registered against him. He said all teachers appointed after the NTS test should be given their due salaries as soon as possible. Pechuho said that a training programme has been planned so that teachers could receive adequate training to impart education in a better manner. He claimed that wrong appointments have been made during the last 30 years.

The biometric system has been successful and those creating hurdles in its smooth functioning will be dealt with an iron hand, he said, directing the education officers to remove all primary school supervisors and post them in other schools, as their services are not needed since new monitors will be posted.

He asked his officers to send their complaints to him regarding all those union leaders who are involved in issuing threats to them or creating problems for the administration, so that FIRs could be registered against them through the anti-corruption department. Pechuho directed the opening of SMC fund accounts in the Sindh Bank.

Head of curriculum wing, Dr Fauzia Khan, said that the purpose of this training programme was to include the teachers in the training process and similar events will be held throughout Sindh. She added that the first event was held in Karachi, second in Hyderabad and now it would be held in Larkana, Sukkur, Nawabshah and Mirpurkhas. 

Published in The Express Tribune, August 22^nd, 2015.