LAHORE:
Around 65 per cent permanent posts of government schoolteachers across Punjab are vacant.
The posts include thousands in grade 17 to 20, among them a large number of headmasters and headmistresses as well as senior teachers.
An official said the percentage of vacant permanent posts had risen to 65 mainly because of lack of timely promotion of the serving teachers.
According to sources in the sector, the government schools across the province are facing shortage of around 100,000 teachers, causing problems for the students as well as teachers.
Amid persisting lack of infrastructure and adequate facilities, the Punjab Scholl Education Department is running its operations by appointing officials on an ad hoc basis to fill be vacant permanent posts.
The situation is worse in the village schools and in South Punjab, where the students also don’t have access to private tuition centres to cover their syllabus.
The lists of vacant permanent posts include those of science and computer teaches, as well as headmasters who have crucial administrative responsibilities in their schools.
Representatives of the teachers’ unions have also raised the issue during their protests in recent months, demanding the appointment of teachers on a permanent basis. They said unavailability of permanent officials had affected the academic activities. The teachers had demanded that the provincial government fill the vacant permanent posts before the conclusion of the ongoing summer vaccinations.
A senior official of the school education department said the reason for the posts lying vacant was that the government did not promote the teachers. The official said then percentage of vacant permanent posts in the government schools was more than 65 per cent.
The official said primary, middle, high and higher secondary schools in all districts had been affected by the problem. However, then matter had serious implications for the high and higher secondary schools where the students completely relied on the schoolteachers to prepare for their exams.
As many as 3,661 permanent pots of headmasters in grade 17 are also vacant, while the total number of allocated posts is 5,067. In 18th grade, 500 of the total 1,673 posts of headmaster are vacant. Similarly, 37 per cent of the posts of headmaster and headmistress in grade 19 are vacant. In addition, 303 posts in grade 20 are also vacant in the schools. The total number of permanent posts in the grade across the province is 404.
In the category of senior schoolteachers in grade 19, about 66 per cent of the posts are vacant along with 55 in grade 18, the official added.
Punjab Teachers Union Secretary General Rana Liaqat Ali said there was disappointment among the teachers because they were not being promoted and appointed on a permanent basis, which was their right.
He said timely promotions were important to help raise the standard of the education.
He said the government should immediately fill the vacant permanent posts.
He said a large number of teachers had retired while waiting for the promotions ads several more were scheduled to retire in the coming months in all districts.
