SIALKOT, Feb 15: The district government is giving a serious thought to relax the academic qualification for Bajwat-based female candidates for their appointment as teachers in a number of primary schools the government plans to reopen after several years of their closure.

The primary schools in far-flung areas of border villages in Bajwat were closed for the non-availability of the teaching staff.

Sialkot District Nazim Muhammad Akmal Cheema disclosed this while addressing a high-level meeting of senior officials of the Education department here.

He said the district government was fully alive to the importance of education and steps were being taken to revive educational activities in all the government girls primary schools in Bajwat areas.

The meeting was told that since these schools were dotted around border villages no female teacher was willing to join institutions there.

It was also informed that Sialkot-based teachers had explicitly rejected the offer of appointment in these schools as crossing over the three rivers to perform their duties was a major stumbling block for them.

In the current scenario, it was further told that the recruitment of local female teachers was the only option that had left for the district government to overcome the problem.

Officials pointed out that it was almost impossible to find female candidates with required qualification for their appointment as teachers in these schools for the literacy rate in villages along the working boundary was dismally low.

The meeting decided in principle to relax rules for the appointment of local female teachers in these schools.

The district nazim said that doors of around 50 government schools had been shut for students for the last several years due to the non-availability of the teaching staff. He said at least 10 primary schools had literally been converted into cattle-sheds. He blamed officials of the education department for this criminal negligence.

He said that the district government was spending Rs2 billion for ensuring free education facilities to students of urban and rural areas in Sialkot district.

District Education Officer (Elementary) Mushtaq Ahmad Bhatti said that around 90 boys and girls high schools had been running without their heads in the district.