PESHAWAR, Oct 19: In future, new schoolteachers in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa will never be transferred from the government-run educational institutions they’re appointed to.

This is a policy decision taken by the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Elementary and Secondary Education Department.

The department feels the ‘non-transferable recruitment policy’ will help ensure presence of teachers in schools and decrease political interference in their affairs.

According to a relevant official, the draft policy has been approved by Elementary and Secondary Education Minister Atif Khan and Secretary Joudat Ayaz and is awaiting the chief minister’s nod for its presentation before the provincial assembly for approval.

“The chief minister is likely to sign it (policy) within the next few days,” he told Dawn on Saturday.

The official said once a teacher was appointed to a primary or secondary school after the policy came into force, he/she would stay put until retirement.

He said terms and conditions of the old teachers’ service would remain unchanged.

The official, however, hastened to add that the department was preparing a separate policy about the transfers and postings of the existing teachers.

According to the proposed policy, local residents will be appointed teachers to primary, middle, high and higher secondary schools in their respective union councils.

“If no local qualifies for appointment as a teacher to the area school, then the appointment will be made from among the people of neighbouring union councils,” he said.

The official said currently, influential teachers served in their favourite schools but those without any political support were transferred to the faraway schools causing absenteeism and inefficiency to the distress of local students.

He said after non-transferable policy was implemented, it would be convenient for teachers to go to schools in their respective areas instead of those located in faraway areas.

“In future, teachers will stop visiting senators, MNAs and MPAs for desirable postings,” he said.

According to him, schoolteachers are often seen visiting lawmakers for transfers from one school to the other but the new policy will check the practice forever as they will never be transferred.

The official said on one hand, hundreds of government primary schools had long been closed in the province, especially in rural areas, due to ‘irrational’ postings and transfers and on the other, many educational institutions in urban areas had teachers in surplus.

He said schoolteachers got additional financial benefits for serving in urban areas unlike the teachers posted to rural areas. The official said the government had decided to amend ‘The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (Appointment, Deputation, Posting, Transfer of Teachers, Lecturers, Instructors and Doctors) Regulatory Act, 2011’ for the implementation of the proposed non-transferable recruitment policy.

“According to the existing law, teachers are appointed to primary schools at union council level but are transferable to other areas. Besides primary schools, middle, high and higher secondary schools will also be mentioned in the law,” he said.