Sindh govt halts salaries of over thousand absent teachers, employees

The salaries of 1,369 permanently absent teachers and employees have been ordered to be withheld in Sindh.

An investigation into the absence of 1,369 teachers and employees across Sindh has been intensified, Express News reported.

The scrutiny committee formed by the Sindh Education Secretary has submitted a report on the absenteeism of teachers and employees.

Following this, the Education Secretary has directed to stop the salaries of the absent teachers and employees.

The Sindh Education Department's Monitoring and Evaluation Department revealed that 1,369 teachers and employees were permanently absent from duty.

In response to this discovery, the Sindh Education Secretary formed a scrutiny committee.

The committee was led by an Additional Secretary, with two Deputy Secretaries and a Section Officer as members. Saeed Ahmed Memon, the Section Officer and committee member, wrote to Monitoring Officers and District Education Officers, requesting attendance records and evidence for the 1,369 teachers and employees in question.

According to sources, a large number of the teachers and employees are residing abroad and have been permanently absent from duty.

The scrutiny committee has completed the investigation process and submitted its report, after which the salaries of the teachers and employees who remained permanently absent have been withheld.

The Sindh government recently introduced a new GPA-based grading policy for matriculation and intermediate exams as part of its efforts to modernize the province's education system.

This policy eliminates the competition for top positions, replacing traditional marks and rankings with grades. As a result, students will no longer be ranked first, second, or third.

According to a notification by Boards and Universities Secretary Abbas Baloch, this new system will take effect in 2025, making Sindh the first province in Pakistan to implement such a grading framework.

Previously the Sindh Higher Education Commission and Tech Valley Google signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to drive technological advancements in the education sector.

According to the Chief Minister of Sindh's spokesperson, the MoU signing ceremony was held at the Chief Minister's House, overseen by Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah.

Syed Murad Ali Shah stated, "Today marks an important day in our journey towards educational transformation in Sindh. We are bringing change in the education sector through technology."