Govt to hire ad-hoc teachers for summer camps

The Punjab School Education Department has decided to organise summer camps in around 2,000 institutions during the coming vacations.

According to sources, the camps will be organised during the summer vacations in five districts of Punjab, including Lahore, and the department is selecting 2,000 suitable schools for the purpose.

Under the plan, 4,000 ad hoc teachers will also be recruited for the summer camps and the government will pay them Rs18,000 each.

However, the government school teachers say the students might not show much interest in such camps.

The sources said the school education department was planning to organise the camps in June, July and August during the summer vacations. Preparations are under way in the department in this connection.

The sources said the proposal of launching the summer camps had been floated about five years ago after observing the practice in the private schools. However, the idea was not implemented in the last three years due to the coronavirus pandemic.

"Now, when the situation is normal and children will be free in summer vacations, the department is thinking of starting summer camps in 2,000 big schools in five districts. We are planning to organise the camps in Lahore, Multan, Faisalabad, Rawalpindi and Gujranwala districts," said a senior official of the Punjab School Education Department

He said 2,000 schools in the districts with big playgrounds and good infrastructure would be selected so that students could enjoy facilities.

The official said the summer camps would also help boost the standard of education amid a shortage of teachers in the schools.

"There is no likelihood of teachers' recruitment in Punjab. Our plan is to hire 4,000 young graduates for duties at the summer camps. The government will pay Rs18,000 in stipend to them, while regular teachers will also engaged in these summer camps," the official told The Express Tribune.

These ad hoc recruits will be responsible to manage extracurricular activities, games and also academic courses for the students attending the summer camps.

After the selection of the 2,000 schools, announcements about the summer camp will be made next month to urge the parents to send their children for participation in the activities.

Published in The Express Tribune, April 14^th, 2023.