LAHORE: The Civil Services Academy (CSA), Lahore, in collaboration with the School Education Department (SED) south Punjab, has launched a project, ‘The Aligarh Movement 2.0,’ to place under-training assistant commissioners (ACs) of Pakistan Administrative Service (PAS) as teachers in the public schools as a part of their specialised training programme (STP).

The initiative is aimed at sensitising the next generation of bureaucrats of the value of education and the condition of the education sector. Around 40 officers, 28 men and 12 women, have been deputed for the one week in primary, middle and high schools of eight districts of south Punjab, including Multan, Lodhran, Vehari, Khanewal, Rahim Yar Khan, Muzaffargarh and Layyah. Dera Ghazi Khan and Rajanpur districts were excluded due to closure of schools during floods while Bahawalnagar did not have any rest house for the stay of the officers. The officers would start working from Monday (today).

It is expected that the trainee officers would get a better understanding of the problems of the education sector and the corrective measures through the project.

At the end of the attachment, each officer would present a ‘school transformation plan’, which would eventually constitute an ‘education transformation plan’ for the benefit of policy-makers.

Talking about the project, South Punjab Education Secretary Ehtasham Anwar said they were trying to accomplish the unfinished agenda of Sir Syed Ahmad Khan started more than 150 years ago. He said the actual Aligarh Movement addressed the Muslim masses while the newer version would focus on those at the helms of affairs as they had never given education its due importance. He said the 40 officers would monitor the working of schools, deliver lectures, develop budget and check administration, quality of education and facilities for the students.

Mr Anwar said the officers would be sorted out in groups of five to give presentations on the experience and the recommendations in the coming weeks. He said the SED secretary would be among the audience for the presentations of all eight groups and the CSA could invite other persons concerned from private as well as public sector to attend the presentations. It’s worth mentioning that the PAS has made probationers’ civil servants appointment at schools a regular component of the specialised training programme (STP).

Published in Dawn, August 29th, 2022