A high-level meeting of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly's Standing Committee on Elementary and Secondary Education took decisive steps to address critical staffing shortages in government schools across the province.
Urgent Recruitment of School Watchmen Approved
The session, held on Wednesday at the Provincial Assembly Secretariat in Peshawar, was chaired by Committee Chairman and MPA Iftikhar Mashwani. Key discussions centered on the 2,914 vacant positions for watchmen in schools. Officials from the Elementary and Secondary Education Department provided a detailed briefing, revealing a significant breakthrough: the Finance Department has granted a No Objection Certificate (NOC) for recruiting against 2,802 of these posts.
However, the NOC for the remaining 112 posts in the merged districts is still pending. The committee issued a firm directive to fill all these Class-IV positions at the earliest possible date. Emphasizing local employment, the committee instructed that priority must be given to residents of the respective districts. Furthermore, they mandated that landowners who have donated land for school buildings should also be considered for these opportunities. The department was ordered to present a progress report in the next committee meeting.
MPAs Highlight Deteriorating School Infrastructure
Committee members and attending MPAs, including Abdul Salam Afridi, Ahmed Kundi, Sharafat Ali, Askar Parvez, Ms. Asma Alam, Shehla Bano, and Sobia Shahid, raised serious concerns about the poor physical condition of government schools in their constituencies. They presented specific details of the deteriorating infrastructure, urging the Education Department to take immediate corrective measures to safeguard the future of students.
The committee also reviewed the department's e-transfer policy for teachers and staff, stressing the need for its full and transparent implementation to ensure fair postings. In a related development, the Secretary for Elementary and Secondary Education informed the members that headmasters of schools with results below 40% have been formally warned. Conferences to address this academic performance issue have already been conducted in Peshawar, Abbottabad, and Mardan.
Broader Concerns and Committee Decisions
The meeting also saw members flagging specific issues in districts like Swat and Swabi, alongside concerns about quota systems for government employees. The committee decided to officially place these matters on record for future review and action.
The meeting was attended by senior officials, including the Secretary for Elementary and Secondary Education and representatives from the Law and Finance Departments, underscoring the government's focus on resolving education sector challenges.
