Educators dismayed over new policies

Say fresh measures by the department will destroy education system

RAWALPINDI:

The teachers unions expressing grave concerns over newly introduced policies of the education department have warned that the new measures may have serious repercussions on the education sector.

Among the new policies, the provincial education department has approved the LPR leave applications of all teachers seeking one year of leave before retirement. Furthermore, it has been decided to take first-year admissions before matriculation results this year, while the department also plans to recruit teachers on daily wages rather than making permanent appointments.

There is also a plan to hand over 15,000 government schools to the private sector under a public-private partnership. As the new policies take effect, teachers' unions have protested strongly, warning that these measures will destroy the education system.

Punjab Teachers Union President Chaudhary Sarfraz and Secretary General Rana Liaquat said that currently, around 30,000 female and male teachers have applied for leave on LPR before retirement, and if all of them are granted the leave, a sudden shortfall of teachers may occur. They said that 125,000 seats of teachers are lying vacant in 47,000 government schools, yet no teachers have been recruited for the last six years. Currently, in most villages, primary and middle schools are run by one or two teachers. By sanctioning LPR holidays, this number will further decrease, which will ruin the teaching system.

The teacher leaders further said that the government is also planning to recruit teachers on daily wages, which would be a very serious joke. There will be no holidays for the daily teachers, and their wages will be cut on holidays. Whoever comes as a teacher will only work daily and will leave the job as soon as there is a replacement.

The union leaders said that more than 10,000 to 15,000 government schools have been started through public-private partnerships, making education more expensive for the poor and lower-middle-class citizens as they pay hefty fees at such schools. Moreover, land worth billions of rupees belonging to government schools will also be sold.

The teachers have demanded a national education policy be made immediately by taking all the stakeholders into confidence. All vacant seats for teachers should be filled permanently. Admissions in the first year before the matriculation results will make the education system a joke. If the admitted students fail or get a compartment in the results, then what will be the result of this admission? Its implications should also be considered.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 28^th, 2024.