The Education Department, acting through the district administrations, has issued show-cause notices to teachers and heads of government schools that recorded poor results in the Class IX (Matric Part I) examinations.
Across the Rawalpindi Division, Deputy Commissioners (DCs) have begun summoning staff from underperforming schools for personal hearings - a move that has provoked strong protests from teachers' associations.
All government boys' and girls' schools with pass rates below 30% have been targeted for these proceedings. Following the hearings, departmental measures are expected to be taken against the teachers concerned.
Possible penalties include transfers to remote areas, suspension of annual increments, and, for persistently underperforming institutions, inclusion in the third phase of school privatisation. The Education Department has already requested a list of such schools to be added to this round, which is scheduled to commence in September.
Punjab Teachers' Union secretary-general, Rana Liaqat, denounced the action, describing the notices issued by the DC of Jhelum to teachers from 27 schools in Tehsil Pind Dadan Khan as "illegal." He argued that accountability lies with the Education Department and its officers, not DCs, and warned that teachers would not tolerate harassment or intimidation by the district administration.
Former president of the Headmasters' Association, Dr Sagheer Alam, said that if education officers aren't allowed to question teachers or non-teaching staff, they should be removed altogether and government schools placed under the direct control of DCs, with the Education Secretary stepping down.
Meanwhile, Shafiq Bhalowalia and Basharat Iqbal Raja argued that most government schools had produced strong results this year, and that those with weak performance faced deep-rooted structural problems that required solutions rather than intimidation. They pledged that teachers would resist attempts by the district administration to harass them.
Punjab Education Minister Rana Sikandar, however, in talks with teachers' associations, stressed that action against schools with poor Class IX results was unavoidable. At the same time, he assured that teachers in schools delivering strong results would be acknowledged and rewarded.?
Teachers reject return of board tests
The Education Department in Rawalpindi has announced plans to reintroduce board examinations for Classes 5 and 8 from 2026. The system, which has twice failed in the past, is being revived for a third time.
In response to strong opposition from private school associations across Punjab, private institutions have been exempted. They will have the discretion to decide whether to present their students for the exams, while government schools will be required to participate.
Officials have indicated that excluding private schools is intended to avert protests and avoid potential legal challenges in the Lahore High Court (LHC).
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