K-P education dept to get separate service act

Proposed law would do away with transfer, posting issue; serve to regularise 40,000 employees

PESHAWAR: The Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) Elementary and Secondary Education Department (ESED) has finalised the draft of the Education Service Act that would enable the teachers to associate with one school for a lifetime, eliminating the transfer and posting exercise.

The new draft has been finalised and will be tabled in the upcoming K-P assembly session. According to ESED, when adopted, the act would serve to regularise over 40,000 teachers and other staff hired on contracts since 2013. The act has been based on the Civil Services Act of Pakistan, 1973.



After the act is implemented, transfer and posting issues will be eliminated and promotions will be given through a review committee, much like done under the civil services act.  However, teachers will only be eligible for pension at the age of 60, if they have completed a minimum of 20 years of service.

Meanwhile, a supposed copy of the act is circulating on social media, which has not been verified by the ESED. The copy declares that all new teachers will be recruited under the NTS and would be hired on contract basis. It also declares that the department would terminate an employee based on an unsatisfactory performance without any notice.

It goes on to state that if a relevant designation has been eliminated from a school, the teacher undertaking the responsibility will also be terminated and that the review committee can also terminate teachers based on performances.



However, when The Express Tribune contacted ESED Additional Secretary Qaiser Alam, he claimed that the copy of the draft act currently circulating on social media was not one approved by the department. He also said the original draft was appreciated by the teachers while the community is apprehensive about some of its clauses.

Alam said that there was a group of teachers spreading misconceptions such as the education department becoming independent with a separate board of governors, which is not true. He added that they want to strengthen the education department so it is on a par with the civil service.

The official clarified that the times of service and the retirement conditions for the teachers will be the same as those in the civil services act. He also said that strict action will be taken against those spreading false news, and a press conference will be held soon to address the same.



It is important to note that ESED is the second largest institution of the country after the Pakistan Army, with 200,000 employees. However, it has never had a separate service act, like those enjoyed by the police and health departments.

All Primary Teachers Association (APTA) Peshawar District President Azizullah Khan appreciated the proposed law and said there are several new packages for teachers as part of it. He said that after the act is in place, primary schoolteachers will be promoted to grade 17 in their previous positions and this has caused unrest amongst some factions, leading to the spread of misinformation.