Education boards operating sans key officials

Positions remain vacant as boards run on ad-hoc arrangements

RAWALPINDI:

All nine education boards in Punjab, including the Rawalpindi Board of Intermediate and Secondary Education have been operating without a chairman, controller of examinations, and board secretary for the past three years.

The entire system is running on makeshift, ad-hoc arrangements that have pushed day-to-day affairs to the verge of collapse.

The chairmen, controllers, and secretaries of the Rawalpindi, Lahore, Gujranwala, Faisalabad, Multan, Bahawalpur, Dera Ghazi Khan, Sahiwal, and Sargodha boards completed their three-year tenures and were relieved of their duties.

The Rawalpindi board has not even appointed an acting chairman and is currently being run by a junior officer, leading to an accumulation of unresolved issues.

Most boards are being run through additional charges assigned to officers who often already hold one or two primary positions, leaving them with limited authority and creating administrative hurdles.

Only the Sahiwal and Multan boards have one secretary each; all other boards are relying on junior officers to fill key roles temporarily.

Board unions have repeatedly written to the authorities concerned, seeking permanent appointments to the posts of chairman, secretary, and controller of examinations.

They have also staged protests, but without success.

With the new academic year 2026 approaching and preparations for matric and intermediate annual examinations underway, the absence of key officers poses serious challenges.

The Punjab Higher Education Commission, when contacted, confirmed that the issue is on record and that a decision has been made to appoint chairmen, secretaries, and controllers across all boards.