In recognition: Teachers to be awarded for their hard work

Notification says awards based on performance in academic year 2016-17

LAHORE: Punjab government has decided to give awards and cash prizes to schoolteachers and officials of the School Education Department (SED) based on their performance. For the purpose, Punjab SED released lists of 500 teachers and officials who have been nominated for the awards.

According to the eligibility criteria, the prizes would be given on the basis of CM’s Roadmap Ranking compiled by the Programme Monitoring & Implementation Unit (PMIU), Punjab Examination Commission (PEC) grade 5 and 8 exams, matriculation and intermediate examinations.

The awards will be distributed in a ceremony being held on October 5, 2017 on World Teachers’ Day and Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif is expected to distribute the awards among the selected individuals.

The notifications are sent separately to all 36 districts for each of the categories. The notifications said that the awards are based on the performance for the academic year 2016-17 and the list is compiled after the approval of the selection committee.

According to the Star Officers awards, which are based on the overall performance of the district, Okara has been ranked first by getting the top position in the CM’s Roadmap Ranking. This award will be given to the District Education Authority (DEA) Chief Executive Officer (CEO). Second position was awarded to Jang, third to  Pakpattan, fourth Muzaffargarh, fifth Chiniot, sixth Kasur, seventh Vehari, eighth Hafizabad and Rajanpur got tenth position.



Talking to The Express Tribune, Punjab SED Secretary Dr Allah Baksh Malik said, “The CM decided that people who are performing extraordinarily in the field of education, especially teachers, will be recognised for their services and for this, awards are being given to the selected teachers and officials.”

He said that a total of 500 selected teachers and officials were being awarded based on set criteria and 95% of the awardees are teachers and the rest are managers and administrators.

He said, “250 recipients of the awards are female and 250 are male, whereas these awards are based on the performances of our officials in the PEC and Board of Intermediate and Secondary Education (BISE) examinations as well as the CM’s Roadmap Rankings.”

He said that the awards would be conferred on the World Teachers’ Day and the department had star-shaped badges manufactured for the performers.

He said that all the selected teachers and officials would receive a certificate attesting to their performance, a star and a cash prize. He said that the cash award has been set at Rs10,000 but it could be increased. “We plan on increasing the award next and the CM might also announce some increment for the award winners,” he added.

Punjab Teachers' Union (PTU) lauded the initiative. PTU Secretary Rana Liaquat Ali said that it was a good initiative that appreciated the performance of teachers.

It was also a demand of the union that the government should recognise their performance the same way it punishes teachers, he added. “We thank SED Secretary, School Education Minister and Chief Minister for the initiative.”

Published in The Express Tribune, October 1^st, 2017.