LAHORE: Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif is not impressed by the school education department’s decision to send 300 head teachers to remote areas for their ‘poor performance’, wondering is it a punishment for them (teachers) or students.

In a presentation on the chief minister’s school reforms road map here on Wednesday, Shahbaz Sharif was told that 300 head teachers had been transferred to remote areas on poor performance. On this the chief minister expressed his surprise over this ‘novel way’ of punishing under-performing teachers. “Why are you sending them to remote areas? Is it a punishment for the teachers or the students studying there?” he questioned and suggested to the department to better come up with some other punishment like demotion.

“Demote them and make videos about the issue and spread among other teachers so that they could see the government’s zero-tolerance policy on under-performers,” he said.

Suggests demotion, approves authority to certify teachers

The teachers’ inability to teach and speak English in schools also came up for discussion. It was informed that a ‘different approach and time’ was required for improvement in English because it was second and third language for a majority of teachers and students. “If the English teachers are selected on merit they should be able to teach well,” Shahbaz expressed his annoyance and directed to show ‘inefficient’ English teachers the door and hire a better stuff. He also directed the department to take measures for their capacity building.

The department said the British Council had been been engaged for intensive training in content and pedagogy in summer. Besides, rationalisation of curriculum for grades VI to VIII has been in progress.

The meeting was further told that 80,000 teachers would be recruited and availability and functioning of basic facilities in schools would be ensured in 2017. Some 1,350 assistant educational officers would also be recruited.

Total primary enrolment has increased by 247,000 this year. Some 36,302 additional classrooms in schools would also be constructed till 2018, the meeting was told.

Mr Sharif took exception to ‘slow’ work on dangerous school buildings and sought a thorough briefing on the matter in the next meeting. The department said work on more than 2,300 dangerous buildings had been launched.

The chief minister was keen on broadening the initiative of handing over the schools having poor performance to the private sector. The Punjab education department said its focus was on south Punjab to that effect.

Shahbaz Sharif expressed his pleasure on being informed that 70,000 children working at kilns had been enrolled through the Brick Kiln Programme.

“This is perhaps unprecedented that brick kiln children are being rescued and sent to schools in South Asia,” he said.

He also accorded approval to setting up Punjab Education Standard Development Authority which would be responsible for certification of teachers. The meeting also decided in principle to establish a separate authority for looking after the matters relating to schools running under public-private partnership.

Published in Dawn, November 17th, 2016