Hither and thither: Education dept shuffles 37 officers

Many teachers accused of corruption

KARACHI:

The services, general administration and coordination department of the Sindh government brought about a massive reshuffle in the education and literacy department on Saturday.

After the Anti-Corruption and Establishment Committee (I) meeting chaired by chief secretary Muhammad Siddiq Memon on August 19, the department issued a notification on Saturday for the transfers and postings of 37 officers on different posts in the education department. The notification stated that 37 teachers and officers have been reshuffled in the education department on different posts. Most of them were charged of corruption.

Transfers and postings were made on different posts of district education officers for elementary, primary, secondary and higher secondary sections, headmasters of grade 19, director of schools and deputy director of schools.

According to the notification, many teachers have been notified to hold the charge of district education officers of their new posts as well as previous ones. Liaquat Ali Khaskheli, the elementary section district education officer of Khairpur, was transferred and posted as the district education officer of the primary, secondary and higher secondary sections. He was notified to hold these charges alongside his existing duties as elementary section incharge.

Transfers and postings have been done in more than 19 cities of Sindh, including Larkana, Naushero Feroz, Khairpur, Hyderabad, Thatta, Sukkur, Mirpurkhas, Umerkot and Karachi. Five officers of Karachi alone were ordered to be transferred and posted in the notification. The headmaster of Government Boys Secondary School No 1, Nazimabad, was transferred and posted until further orders as district education officer of the Karachi District Central primary section.

Similarly Naheed Kousar, the headmistress of Government Girls Secondary School, Karachi, was transferred and posted as primary section district education officer in Korangi district. This was, again, in addition to her existing duties as headmistress of the school.

Sources said that these officers have been transferred on the recommendation of Sindh education secretary Fazlullah Pechuho. However, he refuted the claims and told The Express Tribune that he was unaware of the reshuffle in the education department. He said that he is out of the city, which is why he did not know anything about the transfers and postings in his department.

Meanwhile, education minister Nisar Khuhro's spokesperson said he has yet to receive a copy of the notification from the services department as yet because it is Saturday and their offices are closed. "The situation can be clear to comment on by Monday," he told The Express Tribune.

The meeting

In the Anti-Corruption and Establishment Committee (I) meeting earlier this week, it was also decided to register FIRs against 24 officers on corruption charges and to reshuffle them. Despite the decision, no FIR has been registered as yet. "We will soon register FIRs against the corrupt officers and will also arrest them if needed," said anti-corruption department chairperson Mumtaz Ali Shah.

Another meeting of the Anti-Corruption and Establishment Committee will be held on August 24 in which, according to official sources, more cases will be registered against education officials and open inquiries will be conducted.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 23^rd, 2015.