Teaching Licence Policy approved

The Sindh cabinet on Thursday took the lead among all the provinces when it approved the Teaching Licence Policy to enhance the quality of education for improving students' learning process.

The cabinet meeting, with Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah in the chair, also decided to set up the Sindh Teacher Education Development Authority (STEDA) for issuing teaching licences. It will comprise prominent educationists and experts.

"With this initiative, the teaching will also get the professional status like medical, engineering and law etc. This policy aims at bringing professionalism in the teaching field and would attract talented youth to the teaching profession," Education Minister Sardar Shah told the meeting.

He drew the cabinet's attention towards the progress of students' learning trend in Pakistan. He further mentioned, "Pakistan is now ranked 63rd out of 64 countries in TIMSS (Trends in International Mathematics and Science Studies)."

He said the cabinet meeting was briefed that the teaching licences would be offered in three categories - Primary, Elementary and Secondary and it [licence] would be offered to new entrants with relevant degrees - Associate Degree in Education (ADE) or Bachelor of Education (BEd).

It would be optional for in-service teachers with equivalent qualifications and three-year experience. The applicants applying for the licence will have to clear the test developed and administered by a third party. The teaching licence would be renewed after five years.

According to the experts, the candidates holding the teaching licences will be given preference in public and private educational institutions.

Approving the policy, Sindh chief minister said, "Sindh is the only province that has approved this policy," he said.

6,500 houses for people evicted from nullah areas.

Earlier, as the meeting started, it decided to construct 6,500 housing units over an area of 248 acres to resettle the affectees of the three nullas in the Malir Development Authority area.

Minister Local Government Syed Nasir Shah presented two proposals, saying that the affected people of three nullah areas may either be given properly developed 80 square yard plots and a substantial amount to construct their houses or their houses may be constructed by the local government department.

The cabinet discussed the matter thoroughly, and most of them were in favour of constructing 6,500 housing units for the affected people.

Minister for Information Sharjeel Memon said that handing over the plots to the affected people would start real estate business activities in these areas, therefore the houses should be constructed through experienced and well-reputed firms to provide them with respectable accommodation.

The CM directed his Advisor Law Murtaza Wahab and Advocate General to approach the Supreme Court and get the money of Bahria Town deposited there so that work could be expedited, meanwhile, the local government department must start development of the project by providing them with utility services.

Nasir Shah, to a question, told the cabinet that the affected people were being given monthly rent of Rs15,000 each which is also an unprecedented initiative of the provincial government.

He told the cabinet that the housing project would cost around Rs10 billion, and its project concept paper (PC-I) has been approved by the chief minister.

Houses for flood-hit people

Minister for Revenue Makhdoom Mahboobzaman told the cabinet that the houses that collapsed in the recent heavy rains and floods were constructed on government land.

He added that the Board of Revenue on the chief minister's directives carried out an exercise and found that the land of the collapsed houses could be regularised under Gothabad Scheme, Gothabad Housing programme, regularisation of the village programme, and Kutchi Abadi Act.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 26^th, 2023.