MC schools’ students suffer from govt neglect

All 47 MC schools in Rawalpindi district face shortages of teaching staff.


Our Correspondent May 30, 2014
All 47 MC schools in Rawalpindi district face shortages of teaching staff. PHOTO: FILE

RAWALPINDI:


The provincial education department seems to be least bothered as 14,506 students at municipal schools suffer because of a dire shortage of teachers.


The curtailed teaching staff is hard-pressed to complete the course before the summer vacation. They say half of the academic year has passed, but not even a third of the course work has been covered.

As a result, most parents are taking their children out of MC schools to enroll them in private or other government schools.

All 47 MC schools in Rawalpindi district face shortages of teaching staff. Documents available with The Express Tribune show that 112 vacancies are vacant since 1995. No recruitment has been made ever since the schools were merged with government schools.

Of the 112 vacant positions, three are for headmasters, three senior science teachers (SST B.Ed), nine SST (B.Sc, B.Ed) 38 CT, three Arabic teachers, three drill masters, 48 primary school teachers, one qari, and four vacancies are for lab assistants.

“We have 350 students and only seven teachers. The school neither has a science teacher nor a senior English teacher. The issue has been brought to the knowledge of the education executive district officer, district coordination officer and the education secretary,” said Abdur Rasheed, the headmaster at Government MC Boys High School Satellite Town.

At some schools, senior students teach juniors in the absence of science and English teachers.

“We sometimes request students who have completed their higher studies to take science and English classes at the school so that our students can sit for board examinations,” said a teacher of MC High School Millat Colony.

He said most of the parents now do not want to send their children to MC schools and blamed the education department for this.

Principals also complained about the lack of funds to hire teachers on contract. They say they have requested the education department for funds, but to no avail.

Besides, most of the teachers at MC schools have moved court for promotions and salary increments. “This attitude of the administration has demoralised us and impacted our teaching abilities,” a teacher claimed.

“Salaries of teachers in MC cadres are much lower than those in general cadres. This has created a sense of deprivation and inequality among them,” remarked Muhammad Zubair, a teacher at MC Primary School Satellite Town.

“My son is a second-grader but can’t spell his name correctly. I am planning to enroll him in a private school,” said Saima Khaliq, whose son studies at the Government MC Primary School for Boys, Satellite Town.

Education Executive District Officer Qazi Zahoorul Haq said the vacant teaching posts will be filled during the summer holidays.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 30th, 2014.

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