School management row: Union finds nothing significant in directive on transfer

Notification says affected teachers will be adjusted in other schools in the same area

LAHORE: A notification allowing the Schools Education Department to hand over management of several primary schools to non-government organisations or private persons says that teachers employed at these schools will be transferred against vacancies in other government primary schools under the jurisdiction of the Education DDO concerned, The Express Tribune has learnt.

The guidelines mentioned for the purpose said that if there were vacancies in their preferred schools in the area teachers would be transferred there. They said that if there were multiple applicants for a post appointment would be made on the basis of seniority of the applicants.

The notification said that a committee had been formed to oversee the process. It consisted of the DCO, the Education EDO, the Monitoring DO and the Education DO, it added.

It said that the committee would be asked to submit to the department a comprehensive plan on transfers and posting of teachers from schools in their areas.

When contacted, Punjab Teachers’ Union (PTU) president Rana Liaquat said there was nothing significant about the directive that affected teachers be appointed to other schools under the jurisdiction of the Education DDO concerned. He said that under the rules primary school teachers could not be transferred away from tehsils for which they had been hired.

Liaqat said teachers concerned about transfer to far off areas must have been unaware of the rules governing their recruitment.

He said the union was against the move to hand over schools to the private sector. He said shortage of teaching staff had been responsible for poor performance of some schools.

“Most of these schools have just one teacher who takes care of all subjects,” he said. He said that if the government was sincere about improving performance of primary schools, it should fill teaching vacancies. “Privatisation will not improve performance,” he said.

As many as 1,000 schools would be handed over to the Punjab Education Foundation (PEF) in the first phase starting April 1, said the notification issued for the purpose a few days ago.

The PEF would then make arrangements for transferring management of these schools to the private sector.

An SED official said that 2,500 more schools would later be handed over to the PEF for transferring their management to the private sector.

The notification cited improvement of teaching quality as the purpose of transferring management of schools to the private sector. It said these schools had performed poorly in tests administered province-wide by the Punjab Examination Commission (PEC).

Published in The Express Tribune, March 12^th, 2016.