Punjab Study

LAHORE:26 August: Punjab government is likely to depute around 22000 teaching, administrative and supporting staff in schools in September-October owing to enhance education quality, to meet enrolment target of 3.1 per cent, and to efficiently operate nearly 15000 schools not running properly due to the lack of resources.
A huge number of teachers, administrative and supporting staff of around 22000 will be deputed across Punjab realizing the need of School Education Department (SED) which is currently struggling with poor performance of nearly 15000 schools in different districts of the province.
Talking to The Frontier Post on Saturday, Kaiser Saleem, Addl. Secretary Schools vowed that Punjab has nearly 15000 schools across province which are not being operated well due to the lack of resources. He described that major problems with these schools has been the absence of human resource, suitable conditions to work and sometimes due to scarcity of public interest in acquiring education.
Muhammad Mushtaq Sial, Deputy Secretary Schools said that Punjab government is likely to depute around 22000 teaching, administrative and supporting staff in schools across province that would enhance education quality in school sector. He said this measure has been planned in order to cope up problems faced by school education sector in the province. According to him; unknown number of schools in the province has been struggling with provision of quality education. "Realizing the fact, School Education Department has started several programs to enhance education quality in the province", he mentioned. "Punjab government has allocated resources and a huge number of staff deputations are also planned in accordance to the school education requirements in the province, so that all schools can function for masses and provide quality education", he added.
While, sources told that government would need even higher number of staff deputation to ensure quality education in whole province. "The current proposed number of deputations is not enough, so more, and well educated staff would be required to cope up problems in province", they added.
Earlier Punjab government has mentioned in media that it was satisfied with implementation of recent reforms in education sector- particularly in school education. Government claimed that it would ensure 100 per cent enrollment of children into schools, and declared its target to enroll 3.1 million children into schools in the present year.
Experts said that these 15000 schools must be taken into the loop if Punjab government really determined to achieve the target of improving school education quality in the province. "Either these schools located in far flung areas or in areas of high population in Punjab-government must cope up problems there related to lack of resources, scarcity of public interest in education, security or others", they said.
They said, although government has shown its interest in enhancing education quality and has taken positive steps for it, but these steps must measure must not be centered to urban areas. They said it is government's constitutional and ethical responsibility to ensure provision of basic education to all children in the Punjab province.
They recommended that Punjab government could achieve self-assigned target of enrolling 3.1 million children to schools by maintaining required resources and infrastructure which is necessary to continue or to start educational activities at all 59459 schools across province.
On the other hand, officials of school education department said Punjab government likely to achieve its target of 3.1 children enrolment into schools. They were of the view that government had taken positive steps to enhance education activity in the province. They mentioned that "Punjab is a province where education indicators are the highest and education rate is 58 per cent". They vowed that the major hurdle to meet this target might be the public response to education reforms in the province. "If public supported new reforms then this target would be attained easily", they added.F.P.report.