Phantom enrolments rock Pindi schools
Schools with enrollment of less than 20 students or having PEC results of less than 25% will be handed over to the PEF. PHOTO: AFP
A revelation has come to light concerning 45,000 fraudulent new enrolments across various educational institutions in the Rawalpindi district.
Following a complaint, the School Education Department commissioned a third-party survey, which confirmed the existence of these fictitious admissions.
Sources at the Rawalpindi District Education Authority Office said that inspection teams formally visited a number of boys' and girls' schools in Rawalpindi. During these inspections, it was discovered that the admission registers of several institutions contained the names of 45,000 students who were never actually enrolled. These false entries had also been uploaded to the School Information System (SIS).
In response, the Punjab School Education Department had constituted special inspection teams. Upon comparing the school records with SIS data, the teams verified that fraudulent enrolments had indeed occurred.
A departmental inquiry has now been recommended against those responsible, and all associated funds allocated for these fictitious admissions have been cancelled.
Teacher transfers finalised
The process for submitting online applications for teacher transfers in all categories across government schools has been completed. Due to school privatisation and the rationalisation of teaching staff, this year saw a record 56,027 applicationsthe highest in the history of the Punjab Education Department.
With no restrictive policies in place during this round, teachers displayed substantial interest in applying. Of the total applications, 22,541 were submitted by male teachers, while 33,486 came from female teachers. These comprised 52,714 open merit (regular) applications, 646 promotion-related transfers, 332 from teachers awaiting postings, 632 incomplete mutual transfer applications, and 1,703 complete mutual transfer applications.
The scrutiny of these applications has already begun, and transfer orders are expected to be issued next week.
Intern teacher hiring approved
To ensure the completion of the academic syllabus by March 2026 and to address the acute shortage of teaching staff, the School Education Department has approved the recruitment of 25,000 daily-wage school intern teachers.
The hiring process will commence in October, and the selected teachers will serve from November 1 to March 31 (a five-month period).
They will be appointed on a lump-sum salary basis: Rs35,000 for primary teachers, Rs45,000 for middle school teachers, Rs50,000 for high school teachers, and Rs55,000 for higher secondary teachers.
Retired teachers will also be eligible to apply. These appointments will automatically conclude on March 31, 2026.