Staff shortage: 106 teaching posts lying vacant in railway schools

LAHORE: Out of a total of the 201 posts of teachers at educational institutions run by Pakistan Railways, 106 have been laying vacant for the past one year, The Express Tribune has learnt.

Railways operates 24 schools and three colleges across the country for children of its employees. The schools are also open to the general public. These students have to pay Rs650 per month from nursery to matriculation. Around 7,000 students are presently enrolled at these schools and colleges.

“The 106 posts became vacant during the last year on retirement of teachers on attaining the age of superannuation. The management did not replace them. Out of the 54 sanctioned posts in BS-16, 41 are lying vacant; of the 75 posts in BS-14, 56 are vacant; and of the 13 posts in BS-9, nine are vacant,” a Pakistan Railways official said requesting anonymity because he is not authorised to talk to the media.

“Unless fresh appointments are made, all the 201 posts will fall vacant by 2022 when rest of the current 95 teachers retire,” the official said. Munir Ahmed, a PR employee, said the authorities did not seem interested in the fate of the schools.

“My two kids are studying in one such school. I am disappointed to learn that more than half of the teachers’ posts are vacant,” he said.

Pakistan Railways Schools Director Farhan Ebadat Yar Khan said that they were hiring teachers on a temporary basis as a stop-gap measure.

“A requisition has been sent to the ministry for recruitment on vacant posts after the federal government lifts the ban on recruitments,” Khan said.

“The directorate has recommended creation of 19 new posts in schools and 39 subject specialists for colleges,” he said. “The number of vacancies has been building owing to the ban on recruitments, Khan said.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 22^nd, 2014.