Mismanagement plagues schools

Shortage of teachers threatens education quality in Bahawalnagar

BAHAWALNAGAR:

Government schools in Bahawalnagar district are teetering on the edge of collapse due to mismanagement and alleged corruption.

Despite directives from Education Secretary Dr Ehtesham Anwar to halt temporary transfers and general duties, government school teachers, leveraging influence and bribes, are securing postings in various locations and drawing salaries without fulfilling their duties, according to sources.

Bahawalnagar district, in particular, grapples with an acute shortage of teachers, earning it the unenviable distinction of being the weakest district in Punjab in terms of teacher deficiency.

Of the total 450,567 teacher posts in Punjab schools, only 329,754 are occupied, leaving 20,813 vacant.

The district alone accounts for 16,447 posts, with 4,517 lying vacant, representing a concerning decrease in teacher availability.

Zubair Adil, representing a teachers union, warned that unless the Punjab government urgently addresses the teacher shortage through new recruitments, the situation will worsen, severely impacting education quality. He advocates for a bolstered education budget to tackle the crisis.

CEO Education Shahida Hafeez remained non-responsive when approached for comment.

The Education Department Punjab has published a list of government schools in the province operating without teachers or with only one teacher.

In Bahawalnagar district, 43 schools, including 28 boys' and 16 girls' schools, operate without teachers, while 184 schools have just one teacher.

Numerous factors contribute to the teacher shortage, including a failure to recruit new teachers.

Bahawalnagar district, situated in South Punjab, poses logistical challenges, with schools in riverine and Cholistan areas difficult to access.

Despite these hurdles, teachers prefer urban postings, leaving remote schools understaffed.

In a concerning trend, teachers from various schools in Bahawalnagar district are moonlighting as lecturers at a university campus, obtaining temporary transfers from the education authority.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 15^th, 2024.