Major reshuffle likely in middle tier administration of SED

Department asks details of officials and seeks details of vacant posts

LAHORE: The Punjab School Education Department (SED) is preparing to make major changes in the administrative setup of schools in the province by reshuffling the middle tier in the department, The Express Tribune has learnt.

For the purpose, the department has sought details of all District Education Officers (DEOs) and Assistant Education Officers (AEOs) from the Chief Executive Officers (CEOs) of the District Education Authorities (DEAs) from all the 36 districts of the province.



Apart from asking for details of the officials, the department has also sought details of vacant posts of the same cadre from the CEOs in their respective districts. The officials for whom the details are sought include DEOs Elementary Education both male and female, Deputy DEOs Elementary Education both male and female, Education Officers and AEOs.

To seek the information, a letter has been sent by the Office Director of Public Instruction (DPI) Elementary Education along with a performa of how the details are to be sent. The letter requests that the information should be sent in the given format by the office. It said: "I am directed to request you to provide the information on the following format within the three days". The letter also asks to provide details of any of the slot currently vacant in the jurisdiction of the respective CEO. It said: "The vacant post (if any) may also be reflected with effect from the date it has become vacant." According to an official privy to the matter, the details had been sought so that a major reshuffle could be done in the province. He said: "The details of the officials will be scrutinised and a major reshuffle is expected in the middle tier of the SED." He, however, did not provide reasons for the move.

The CEOs had already been transferred by the interim government before the elections. The SED transferred all the CEOs of 36 districts of the province on the directives of the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP). According to a notification issued by the SED secretary, all the incumbents [CEOs] were relieved of their charge and had been posted to new assignments in other districts.

Separately, earlier in the year thousands of teachers have submitted their paperwork for transfers. These teachers are waiting to be transferred as it was delayed due to the general elections in 2018 where most of the staff for the election duties were taken from the SED and most were teachers. Earlier in the month, the SED had sought details of the transfer and posting cases of teachers, which had been processed by the department between April 1, 2018, and May 31, 2018.

Thousands of teachers had applied for transfers in April of this year. According to an estimate, as many as 7,000 teachers had applied for inter-district transfers and around 50,000 applications had been submitted for transfers within their respective districts.



The ban on transfers was lifted in 2016 and in March, the SED again lifted the ban and scheduled the application process from April 1 to May 31. However, the department halted the transfer process in May as the preparations for the general elections were ongoing and teachers were the major manpower for the elections. The CEOs were told not to issue any transfer orders as the teachers being deputed for the elections duties were undergoing training.

Later, the SED barred transfers and appointments of schoolteachers till the end of the general elections and the formation of a new government. The department instructed the CEOs: “The ECP has announced Election schedule. You are requested not to transfer or make an appointment under any circumstances up till completion of the election process”.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 27^th, 2018.