Misplaced agenda: Officers from other depts find way into education dept

385 officers from outside education dept notified for postings

HYDERABAD: The posting of officers of the revenue and secretariat services in the education department has remained a bone of contention between the former and the education officials for many years, with the latter considering it inimical to the interests of education and of their own.

A recent notification of the Sindh government posting these arguably irrelevant officers in the education department has irked the education officials who earlier fought a legal battle to thwart this alleged intrusion.

Educationists contend that the outsiders not only deny them their due postings and promotions but also receive monetary incentives, ranging from Rs75,000 to Rs200,000 per month in addition to their salary and promotions. "The irony is that instead of posting or promoting the teachers, [who are] qualified with masters or bachelors degrees in education, bureaucrats are given the positions in School Executive Service," deplored Zainul Abidin Laghari, the general secretary of the Gazetted Officers Association Sindh, a group which lobbies for government school teachers, headmasters and admin officials.



Laghari told The Express Tribune that the non-cadre officers from provincial civil service (PCS), ex-PCS and secretariat services group have been given 25% of the cadre posts which technically belong to the education officials.

Earlier this month, the Sindh Services General Administration and Coordination Department, issued a notification containing a detailed list of the posts from BPS-17 to BPS-21. As many as 385 officers from outside the education department are cited in that list with postings in that department.

These include 14 posts of BPS-19 Deputy Directors Directorate of School Education, seven posts of BPS-19 District Education Officers, 14 posts of BPS-18 Deputy Directors School Education and six posts of BPS-18 Deputy Directors College Education. Another 69 posts of Deputy District Education Officers and Assistant Directors of BPS-18 for the primary, elementary, secondary and higher secondary education; co-curricular activities, quality assurance and planning and development are being given to the bureaucracy.

Among the BPS-17 posts, 145 positions of taluka education officers primary, elementary, secondary and higher secondary and 95 of Assistant Education Officers are also in the list. In October 2014, the provincial government notified the Education Management Cadre consisting of School Executive Service, School Management Service and School Finance Service.

According to that notification, BPS-18 posts of deputy district education officers were to be filled 80% through promotions of education officials and 20% through fresh appointments conducted by the Sindh Public Service Commission (SPSC). Similarly, 50% of BPS-17 taluka education officer and assistant education officer were to be filled through the SPSC exam. However, these posts, which fall in the School Executive Service, have never been filled through the SPSC exam.

Following the recent notification, the Gazetted Officers Association Sindh called a meeting in Karachi last week and decided to resist the notification. "We will go to the court, hold protests and highlight this injustice," Laghari said. According to Laghari and other office bearers of the association, the provincial government has reneged its agreement which former education secretary Fazalullah Pechuho and former Sindh advocate-general Zameer Ghumro had signed with the association and Government School Teachers Association.

The government had assured that such postings will be restricted to a limited number and the officers from other services will not be allowed to obtain early promotions while working in the education department. "The education secretary assured that the officers belonging to PAS [provincial administrative services], ex-PCS and PSS [provincial secretariat services] will remain in their parent cadre and their seniority will be maintained with their original batch mates. They will only be posted in the Education and Literacy Department by way of transfer on tenure basis," read the agreement.

The education officials belong to School Management Service having the posts of BPS-20 senior principal, BPS-19 principal, BPS-18 senior headmaster or headmistress and BPS-17 headmaster or headmistress. The agreement had decided to give 25% share each on BPS-20 and BPS-19 posts in School Executive Service to the outsiders and those working in School Management Service while 50% positions were to be filled through promotions within the School Executive Service.

Likewise, the two sides were given 30% each share on BPS-18 and BPS-17 posts while 40% of BPS-18 posts were set aside for the officials promoted within the School Executive Service. On BPS-17, 40% posts were decided to be given to newly appointed officers through SPSC.

The stakeholders had also agreed that the officials of the School Management Service posted in School Executive Service will be given the same incentives - Rs75,000 for BPS-17, Rs125,000 for BSP-18, RS150,000 for BPS-19 and Rs200,000 for BPS-20 - like the bureaucrats. However, the association's representatives lament that the provincial government has failed to fulfill its agreement.



"The provincial government felt compelled to sign this agreement after they realised that they are losing the case in the Supreme Court," said Akbar Memon, an office bearer of the association, referring to the petition filed by the association in the apex court against induction of the irrelevant officials in the education department.

The petitioners withdrew the case after the said agreement. "But this time, we will have to resolutely fight this case in the court without keeping the option of withdrawal."

Published in The Express Tribune, October 18^th, 2018.