PESHAWAR, Sept 3: Frontier lawmakers on Wednesday exposed the hollowness of the education department while speaking on shortage of basic teaching staff, extra rooms and furniture for growing number of students in primary and secondary schools in remote areas of the province.

Speaking on his adjournment motion, Barrister Javed Abbasi of the Pakistan Muslim League-N said over 500 posts of various teaching cadres were lying vacant in his native district of Abbottabad. “It is a mockery of education we have been offering children of this province for many decades. One cannot believe such a higher number of posts could be vacant in one district, but we are constrained to grapple with such conditions,” he said. He said score of schools damaged during the earthquake had not been reconstructed even after three years.

He said the government had conducted tests and interviews thrice, but so for teachers had not been appointed against vacant posts. Despite a huge allocation, he said, the department had failed to cater to the needs of students. He said conditions in girls’ schools were worse than boys’ schools. “Female teachers prefer to get posted in limits of their own union councils because they are not provided with accommodation and conveyance allowance in far-flung areas,” he said.

He proposed that 80 per cent recruitments should be made at the union council level and the remaining on open merit. According to him, it was a workable ratio, which could make things better in hilly areas. He said people had lost confidence in public sector schools because they lacked a check and balance system.

He said that according to a survey conducted by a social organisation, the government spent Rs6,000 per student in a public sector school, but in Abbottabad, the management of a renowned private school spent Rs1,015 per student. But, he added, there was a big difference in the results of the government and private schools.

Endorsing the motion, Sardar Aurangzeb called upon the government to make recruitments union council-wise. He said 25 girls’ primary schools in his area were closed because female teachers hailing from Haripur and Abbottabad districts were unwilling to travel 15 to 20 miles daily. About fresh recruitments, he said it was unacceptable for them (teachers) to work under a six-month contract offered by the government.

Inayatullah Jadoon, also from the PML-N, said most of primary teachers interviewed by the education department had become overage, suggesting that either they should be given age relaxation or be appointed in backdate.

Jafar Shah of the Awami National Party from Swat said 64 schools were closed in Swat because they did not have the required teaching staff. “Teachers hailing from urban areas do not go to rural areas. Usually, female teachers prefer to get themselves transferred to schools located in urban areas,” he added.

Sanjeeda Yousuf of the Pakistan People’s Party held private school owners responsible for the present mess in the education sector. She said private schools were charging higher fees, but paying nominal salary to their untrained teachers. She asked the government to evolve an effective and transparent policy for private schools.

Abdul Akbar Khan of the PPP said recruitments through the Provincial Public Service Commission was a lengthy process and the government needed to run schools by filling vacant posts. He proposed that the education department should recruit the required staff on its own.

Provincial ministers Mian Iftikhar Hussain and Sher Azam Khan and MPAs Sikandar Irfan, Adnan Wazir, Raja Faisal Zaman, Malik Qasim Khattak, Mufti Said Janan, Saquibullah Chamkani, Dr Haider Ali, Zahir Shah, Uzma Bibi, Nargas Samin, Israrullah Gandapur, Anwar Khan, Bacha Saleh Shah, Alamzeb Khan, Alamgir Khan, Zamin Khan and Atiqur Rehman also spoke on the matter.

Lawmakers from Swat, Hangu and Shangla drew the attention of the house towards loadshedding at Iftar and Sehri times in their areas and asked the chair to take up the issue with Pesco authorities.

A minority MPA, Kishor Kumar, condemned the kidnapping of Oam Raj, a Hindu trader, in Mardan and asked the government to take steps for his early recovery. Area MPA, Ahmed Bahadur, also criticised the kidnapping and asked the government to take effective measures for his recovery.

Later, the speaker adjourned the session till Thursday.

APP adds: The NWFP Assembly was on Wednesday informed that the provincial government had released Rs40 million to the engineering section of the agriculture department as payment of 25 per cent subsidy on electricity bills of tubewells.