Punjab govt to hire intern teachers

The Punjab government has issued details for recruitment of intern teachers for only one academic year instead of recruiting permanent or contractual teachers on 13,736 vacant seats. The total expenditure on this recruitment is estimated to cost Rs130.4 million.

Hiring will be done in six phases and six districts have been short-listed for the first phase. Thereafter, each phase would entail the addition of six districts in the project. The last date for submission of applications is July 15 while lists of submitted applications will be displayed on July 19.

The teaching session of the teaching interns will start after the summer vacation and be completed by the annual examination in 2022.

The hiring in schools will be done on the union councils (UCs) level. Only unemployed candidates of the UC and Panchayat council will be eligible to apply. There will be no transfer facility for the hired educators.

The salaries of primary class teachers will be Rs720 per day (Rs18,000 per month) while teachers for middle classes will receive Rs800 per day (Rs20,000 per month). Educators for matric level will be given Rs 1,000 per day (Rs30,000 per month).

The age of male teacher interns will be 20 to 50 years, while the age of female teacher interns will be 20 to 55 years. Since the recruitment period is only one year, the government will also allow for age leniency.

The education authority has said that teaching interns will teach in schools near their residences.

The recruitment committee will comprise five members, while school heads will be the convener of the committee. Parents, a member of the school council, a general member, and a teacher of the subject will be involved in the recruitment procedure.

The required qualification for teachers of primary classes will be matriculation with a second division, and FA or FSC with a second division for middle classes while BA or BSc, with second division will be the requirement for higher classes.

The marks allocated for the interview would be 100, while the academic certificate or degree will have separate additional numbers.

The attendance register for interns will also be separated while their salaries will be deducted on taking leave without prior approval.

The interviews for recruitment for FA, FSC classes will be conducted from July 20 to 22, matric classes from July 24 to 25, middle classes from July 28 to 30, and intermediate classes from August 1 to 3.

The merit lists of the successful candidates will also be displayed in phases. The list for intermediate teachers will be displayed on July 23, matric interns on July 27, middle classes on July 31, and primary classes on August 4.

The educators would be bound to give joining within a week after recruitment. If not, the teacher will not be hired.

Punjab Teachers’ Unions leaders Hamid Shah, Shahid Mubarak, Shafiq Bhalwalia, and Basharat Iqbal Raja talking to The Express Tribune, criticised the decision and said that hiring teachers daily was unjust. They demanded that the government make long-term policies for education and all vacant seats be filled permanently.

Meanwhile, the education department said that 70,000 teachers positions seats were vacant across Punjab, and that it was not possible to spend so much money right away.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 30^th, 2021.