Govt may ease policy to recruit teachers: CM

Says pass percentage reduced to overcome shortage

KARACHI:

Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah, in order to functionalise the remaining 4,250 non-operational schools, has announced to revise the Teacher Recruitment Policy 2021 and reduced the criteria for passing marks from 55 per cent for male Muslims and 50 per cent for female and minority candidates to 40 per cent for all candidates to fill the shortage of teachers.

The earlier recruitment policy was based on union council level and now it has been made on taluka level, therefore, all the candidates who had obtained at least 40 per cent marks will be recruited, subject to the availability of vacancies in the taluka concerned.

Shah made this announcement on Tuesday while addressing a crowded press conference at the CM House.

Sindh Minister for Education, Syed Sardar Shah, Minister Irrigation Jam Khan Shoro, Advisor on Law, Murtaza Wahab and concerned secretaries were also present on the occasion.

The chief minister said that the main purpose of the recruitment of teachers, PSTs and JESTs, was to provide teachers to the schools as thousands of schools have become dysfunctional due to shortage of teaching staff. "Presently 54,000 posts of teachers, including 36,000 primary school teachers and 18,000 Junior Elementary School Teachers are lying vacant throughout the province," he said.

Shah said, "Through the current recruitment process, 2,533 schools have been reopened but still 4,250 are without teachers, therefore, it has become necessary to revise the Teacher Recruitment Policy 2021 and reduce the criteria for passing marks."

Chief minister added that for the differently-abled candidates and for hard areas, the passing marks would remain 33 per cent as before.

The CM said that even after lowering the passing marks to 40 per cent, 18 talukas would still be facing shortage of teaching staff. "The candidates who secured marks less than 40 per cent in these 18 talukas of different districts will be given the opportunity to attend special courses and pass a test to be conducted by a third party for their recruitment," he announced.

Shah said that after revision of the policy more than 50,000 teachers would be recruited to functionalise all the closed primary and secondary schools.

Talking about the recent wave of terrorism under which three terrorist incidents have taken place in the city within a month, the chief minister said that the law and order in the province was under control but anti-social and anti-state elements have started creating unrest. "But, we would not allow them to achieve their nefarious designs," he said.

The CM said that he has told the policemen that it was intelligence failure that three incidents have taken place one after another. He pointed out that when a terrorist carrying a bag entered Karachi University why his bag was not checked.

He said that the police would sensitise the citizens to inform 15 whenever they witness any suspicious activity. "The police will talk to the shopkeepers in the market to keep proper vigilance in their parking lots and install their private CCTV system," he said.

About water shortage, Shah said, "The problem is in the distribution of water." He said his government has serious reservations against IRSA.

Shah said that the provinces were told that there would be eight per cent shortage of water during Kharif and in the early season in Sindh while Punjab would face 22 per cent and 13 per cent shortage, as a matter of fact shortage should be equal in Sindh and Punjab.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 18^th, 2022.