The Balochistan education department last week suspended more than 2,000 teachers across the province due to their continued absence from duty, Balochistan Education Secretary Tayyab Lehri said on Monday.

The suspended teachers belong to Quetta, Dera Bugti, Pishin, Killa Abdullah and other districts of the province.

"We have launched a crackdown against the chronically absent teachers to make non-functional schools functional," Lehri told DawnNewsTV.

The suspended teachers were repeatedly issued show-cause notices to ensure their presence in schools. However, they failed to turn up, the secretary said, adding that over 200 teachers were suspended in Pishin, 81 in Dera Bugti and the rest in other districts.

In Balochistan, the number of government teachers from primary to high school levels is more than 70,000. This is the first time that the provincial government has launched a massive crackdown against 'ghost' and absentee teachers.

"Despite mounting pressure, we have decided to continue the action," Lehri said.

The crackdown came as Minister for Information and Finance Zahoor Buledi and adviser to the Balochistan chief minister for education Mohammad Khan Lehri held an important meeting to review the state of education in the province.

The meeting had decided to make over 1,800 non-functional schools functional and upgrade 67 middle schools and 80 higher secondary schools in the province, the information minister told DawnNewsTV.

Inquiry committees have been established to investigate each individual case of chronically absent teachers. The educators have been suspended in the first phase, and will be terminated from service if found guilty after the inquiry.

"The inquiry committees are going to decide the fate of absentee teachers within 30 days," the education secretary revealed.