PESHAWAR: In an unprecedented move, the local government department has appointed a college teacher as the head of the province’s only local governance training institute ignoring its more than 20 senior officers awaiting posting.

The Local Governance School has been led by senior officials of the department with expertise in local body system since it became functional around 20 years ago, sources told Dawn.

They also said around 20 college teachers had been serving in various government departments and directorates other than the higher education department on deputation, while the higher education department has long been facing a shortage of around 1500 teachers.

A notification issued on Dec 30 says: “The competent authority in LG department is pleased to post Mr. Muhammad Inam Khan Yousafzai, assistant professor (law) BPS-18, Government Degree College, Garhi Kapura Mardan against the post of Director, BPS 19 Local Governance School, Local Council Board Hayatabad, in his own pay and scale on usual terms and conditions of deputation with immediate effect.”

Mr Yousafzai has been working in the LG department on deputation for few months.

LG secretary says posting meant for teaching purpose

The sources said the higher education department hadn’t appointed the successor of Mr Yousafzai, so the administration of his college, the Government College, Garhi Kapura, Mardan, was struggling to arrange a law teacher to take his classes.

They said the college had no permanent law teacher for few months, so the administration requested the teacher of another college to teach students on a temporary basis.

Sources said the college administration would hire a teacher from the private sector as a stopgap arrangement and that he would be paid from the college’s fund.

A senior official of the local government department told Dawn that the Local Governance School had three main functions, including imparting and arranging refresher courses for on-service local government employees, holding initial training for newly-recruited local government officers and imparting and arranging training for local body nazims and councillors.

The training institute also trains all relevant officials and councillors about the KP Local Government Act, 2013, rules of business, and bylaws regarding services delivery and design and mapping of buildings.

The official said senior officials, including tehsil municipal officer, assistant director (local government), assistant engineers and town officers (revenue), had been getting training in the school.

Sources said 12 officers of the local government cadre holding BPS-18 and BPS-19 had been awaiting posting in the directorate of the local government department and 10 in the local council board.

When contacted, local government secretary Shakeel Ahmad Mian justified the posting and said the department hadn’t given Mr Yousafzai a field assignment and instead, he had been posted for teaching purposes.

He said the senior officials awaiting posting would soon be adjusted to different posts.

Published in Dawn, January 2nd, 2020