PESHAWAR: The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government has launched second shifts in its schools without getting the initiative’s mandatory approval from the cabinet.

Chief Minister Mahmood Khan had approved a proposal on Oct 4 for the start of evening shift in two higher secondary schools of Shahpur and Lelonai areas in Shangla district.

Under the proposed Double Shift Schools Policy meant to address classroom overcrowding and ensure fresh enrolment, evening shifts will be started in schools, where every class has more than 60 students, sources told Dawn.

The sources said the chief minister had approved the policy in principle, which would be placed before the cabinet in the next meeting for approval required for the formal execution of the initiative.

Initiative meant for schools with over 60 students in every class

They said though the cabinet had yet not approved the policy, the chief minister approved the start of evening shift in two Shangla schools during a meeting on Oct 4.

Elementary and secondary education minister Shahram Tarakai, labour minister Shaukat Yousafzai, local government minister Akbar Ayub and officials of the education department had attended the meeting, said a statement issued by the chief minister’s secretariat on that day.

About the need for second shift in two schools of Shangla district, Mr Yousafzai had told the meeting that as more and more students sought admission, the educational institutions couldn’t adjust them all in the morning shift.

He had said the start of school evening shift was a longstanding demand of the residents for the formal learning of their children.

Sources said ideally speaking, a class should have 40 students but up to 60 students could be accommodated in every classroom of government schools.

They said under the proposed Double Shift Schools Policy, evening shifts would be launched in schools, where every class had more than 60 students.

The sources said the education department, in consultation with the relevant district education officers, had so far proposed 117 government schools for the double shift programme.

They said during the second shift, middle schools could be established in primary schools and high and higher secondary schools in middle and high schools, respectively.

The sources said two proposals were under consideration for second shift teachers and the first one was the grant of additional allowances to teachers already serving in government schools and second was the hiring of teachers with the minimum qualification of graduation and post-graduation at fixed salary.

They said the allowances for the purpose had been fixed in line with the basic pay scales of the teachers starting from Rs9,000 for BPS-12 and reaching Rs25,000 up to BPS-20.

The sources said the education department had fixed at Rs12,000 for the teachers hired for primary schools, Rs15,000 for middle school ones, Rs18,000 for high schools ones and Rs20,000 for higher secondary school teachers.

They said in the next phase of the initiative, evening shifts would be launched in government schools across the province for the enrolment of out-of-school children.

Provincial minister for elementary and secondary education Shehram Khan Tarakai was not available for comments.

Published in Dawn, October 7th, 2020