Another 90 school heads exonerated after 2 years of inquiries

Disciplinary proceedings against teachers started in November 2016

LAHORE: The Punjab School Education Department (SED) has cleared another 90 school heads from charges of inefficiency and misconduct after an inquiry against the teachers that started in 2016.

Disciplinary proceedings against the teachers started in November 2016 under the Punjab Employees Efficiency, Discipline and Accountability Act (PEEDA) 2006 for 50% or more dropout rate of students enrolled in grade 9 in the class of 2014. The SED initiated proceedings against the teachers and appointed Mushtaq Ahmad Sial as the inquiry officer.

After the inquiry, the SED concluded that charges against only two school officials were found to be proved, while the rest of the teachers – 88 in total, had been exonerated from the charges as the charges against them were not proved. Orders issued by the department said: "The inquiry officer submitted his report concluding therein that the charges stand proved to the extent of the [two] accused, whereas the charges stand not proved to the extent of the other accused officers."



However, because the two officials had retired, the inquiry officer recommended that the charges under PEEDA Act should be dropped. The order said: "The inquiry officer recommended that the proceedings initiated against the [two] accused may be converted into the proceedings under the Punjab Civil Services Pension Rules as a period of more than two years after their retirement has been expired, hence they cannot be proceeded against under the PEEDA Act, 2006 at this stage, while the other 88 accused officers may be exonerated of the charges."

According to the orders, "They [the two found guilty] were not found guilty of gross misconduct and a high dropout rate of their schools shall not affect their future performance as both the officers have retired from government service." The department exonerated all of the accused based on this and the order further said, "Under Section 13(3) of the PEEDA Act 2006 [the competent authority] has exonerated all the accused of the charges leveled against them."

Earlier, the department had exonerated 183 school heads from similar charges after an inquiry found that the charges against the teachers could not be proven.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 1^st, 2018.