Teachers shortage forces school closure

Province faces retirement of over 300 teachers each month, adding to shortage

QUETTA:

Approximately 3,500 schools across the province have been forced to close their doors due to a severe shortage of teachers in the past two months, Balochistan Education Minister Abdul Qadir Bakhsh Baloch said on Monday.

Addressing the critical issue, the caretaker minister highlighted the acute scarcity of educators within the provincial education department.

He pointed out that the department has been grappling with significant challenges, unable to conduct teacher recruitments since 2019, primarily due to political and administrative constraints.

Additionally, the minister noted that the province faces the retirement of over 300 teachers each month, exacerbating the shortage. “Enrolling children in schools is fundamental to enhancing the province’s literacy rate.” 

Published in The Express Tribune, November 21^st, 2023.