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The Punjab government has initiated a significant measure to tackle the shortage of teaching staff by announcing the recruitment of 30000 visiting teachers for schools in the first phase, addressing a pressing issue in the education sector.
Within the province, the School Education Department (SED) grapples with a deficit of 115,000 teachers, highlighting the urgent need for additional staff to maintain educational standards.
In 2018, the last major recruitment of schoolteachers took place under the PML-N government, underscoring the prolonged nature of the staffing shortage issue.
During the tenure of the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) government, a modest number of appointments, ranging from 400 to 500, were made, primarily concentrated in districts like Murree and Mianwali.
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To streamline the hiring process, the PTI government introduced a methodology akin to that of the Punjab Public Service Commission (PPSC), aiming to enhance efficiency and transparency in recruitment.
Additionally, the PTI administration implemented the College Teaching Interns (CTIs) program to address vacancies in colleges, a move that received positive feedback. Recent graduates were eligible for CTI positions, offering a monthly stipend of Rs. 25,000.
In response to the ongoing teacher shortage, the current government is contemplating the recruitment of 30,000 schoolteachers on a visiting basis, with remuneration tied to the number of lectures delivered.
To support the influx of visiting teachers, the government plans to allocate supplementary funds to school councils, empowering them to cover the salaries of visiting staff and manage other school expenses efficiently.
Rana Liaqat, General Secretary of the Punjab Teachers Union (PTU), emphasized the necessity of permanent recruitment in the education sector to resolve the longstanding issue of teacher shortages effectively.
Liaqat stressed that recruiting teachers on a permanent basis is the most sustainable solution to the staffing deficit, expressing concerns about the potential challenges associated with relying solely on visiting teachers for schools’ staffing needs.