RAWALPINDI, Jan 28: Punjab Education Minister Mian Imran Masood on Wednesday said a plan was under way through which the heads of colleges would be allowed to hire teachers on vacant posts to overcome understaffing in their respective institutions.

Speaking at a press conference at the Postgraduate College for Girls, 6th Road, here, Mian Imran Masood said according to the plan, the college principals would be permitted to enlist teachers and fix their salaries. The provincial government will contribute half of the salary, while the remaining one will be paid by the college itself, he said.

About the ban on recruitments, he said it would be lifted soon. He cited lack of finances as being the prime reason for hiring new teachers. Such appointments are, first, approved by the finance department, he said.

Mian Imran Masood said the government was well aware of the shortage of teachers in the educational institutions. "We have about 6,000 buildings for opening schools/colleges but due to shortage of teaching staff, the classes cannot be started there," he pointed out. Talks are underway with the finance department for lifting of ban on fresh recruitments, he added.

To a question about the new contract system, he said these appointments were made purely on merit and no political or any other quota had been kept in this system. He defended the policy saying it was performance-based recruitment. Incentives are there for those teachers who will show good results, he said.

The provincial education minister said they had also planned to establish school and college councils. These councils, he said, would control the financial matters of educational institutions and would be provided with funds. It would be at their disposal to spend the funds where they deemed it necessary, he added.

In reply to a question, Mr Masood said he was planning to provide more facilities to the teaching community to restore their standing in the society. For this purpose, education towns would be established where teachers would be provided with lodging, he added. "If judicial colonies, police foundations and other colonies could be established, why cannot such schemes be launched for teachers, he asked.

The minister said an amount of Rs20 million was being spent on provision of books to students up to class five, while stipends would also be given to students in fifteen districts. Replying to another question, he said education had been devolved and only the appointment of college principals and executive district officers was being handled by the provincial government.

Meanwhile, presiding over a meeting of school/college principals and executive district officers, Mr Masood said the heads of the educational institutions showing poor results would be penalised.

Chairman Board of Intermediate and Secondary Education (BISE) Dr Aziz Ahmad Hashmi and Controller Humayun Iqbal were also present on the occasion. The education minister said the Punjab government had increased the education budget in order to improve the standard of education in the province. He said there were incentives for teachers and students.

He said under the special programme of Punjab Chief Minister Ch Pervaiz Elahi, Rs500 million would be provided to each district of Rawalpindi within next three years for provision of missing facilities. Announcing the incentives, the minister also directed the heads of educational institutions to realize their professional responsibilities, provide best education to the students and improve the percentage of results so that the objectives of allocating huge funds in this sector could be achieved.

The minister also heard problems of the college principals. Later on, he visited Fatima Jinnah Women University where the vice chancellor briefed him on the university, the facilities being given to the students and the future plans of the institution.