LAHORE: The Punjab Education Foundation (PEF) has hired the services of 70 people without informing the chief executive of the province about the recommendations of the Chief Minister’s Inspection Team (CMIT) on rightsizing of the organisation.

However, a spokesperson says that being an autonomous, statutory body with its own Board of Directors, the PEF formulates its policies and takes decisions.

Forwarded by the then chairman of the CMIT, Irfan Ali, a year ago, a report recommended to the chief minister: “PEF approved posts are 581 and working strength is around 280. They require only 172 posts if are willing to decentralise decision-making by re-organising regions. PEF may be asked to undertake rightsizing exercise to avoid negative undercurrents and to ensure optimum output from officers hired on market rates.”

Through its Chairman Engineer Qamarul Islam Raja, the PEF had in January this year moved a summary to the chief minister, seeking exemption from the recruitment ban for hiring staff urgently required.

The PEF argued in the summary that since it has “an ambitious expansion plan” for its Foundation Assisted Schools (FAS), New School Programme (NSP) and Education Voucher Scheme (EVS) under the Chief Minister’s Education Roadmap, hiring is essential.

Manages to get hiring exemption; appoints 70 people

Without even mentioning the CMIT report, the summary said that hiring was “urgently required since the expansion activities are gaining momentum. Moreover, further delay in hiring is also likely to adversely affect the targets of the Chief Minister’s Education Roadmap.”

Before putting up the case for consideration to the CM, views were sought from the school education department, the regulation wing of the services and general administration department (S&GAD) and the finance department.

The S&GAD regulations wing in February this year endorsed the PEF proposal “subject to fulfillment of all codal/ procedural formalities.”

During the Punjab Education Reform Stocktake Meeting in June this year, the PEF managed to get “one-time blanket exemption from the hiring ban for its vacant positions” from the chief minister who was presiding over, and recruited some 70 officials, including two directors, a deputy director and five assistant directors.

A PEF spokesperson said all policy decisions were being made through BoD and under policy of the Punjab government. All hiring in PEF is done strictly in accordance with rules and regulations of the Punjab government. “PEF has been mandated to enrol a total of 2.8 million mostly out- of-school/dropout children in its partner schools by 2018. It is, therefore, necessary that enough staff is hired to supervise this expansion plan.”

Claiming that no rule was ever violated at any stage in hiring process, the spokesperson said highly qualified/senior members of the BoD were included in recruitment and selection committee to ensure complete transparency and merit-based selections. Meanwhile, role and performance of the foundation was reviewed in chief minister’s stocktake (meeting) on a regular basis.

“In recent stocktake (meeting), shortage of staff in PEF was also discussed and the CM approved new hiring,” said the spokesperson while adding that PEF has been playing an important role in improving access and ensuring promotion of education under ‘Parho Punjab, Barho Punjab’ in the disfranchised sections of the society. Therefore, its programmes based on public-private partnership were expanded regularly to cater to the needs of mostly out of school/dropout children in Punjab.

“It is necessary that sufficient staff is there to effectively manage this expansion according to its schedule,” said the spokesperson while adding that the summary for additional recruitment was sent to the CM through proper channel; it was routed through the schools secretary and office of chief secretary to the CM Office.

Published in Dawn, August 20th, 2015

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