PESHAWAR, Feb 14: The NWFP cabinet committee on Monday resolved the longstanding issue of appointment of subject specialists. It decided that half of the posts of subject specialists would be filled through the public service commission and the remaining through the education department on promotion.

The committee recommended that posts of subject specialists for Pashto and Urdu should be created in higher secondary schools. The decisions were taken in consultation with teachers' representatives Khairullah Hawari and Muzamal Tarnabi, who attended a meeting of the committee presided over by Education Minister Maulana Fazle Ali Haqqani.

The participants of the meeting stressed that all reforms initiated in the department should focus on both qualitative and quantitative improvement in the standard of education.

They unanimously stressed that all reforms in the education department must focus on the welfare of the students in the classroom. The education minister said all the reforms would be useless unless they brought a change for the betterment of students and improvement in the quality and quantity of education.

He said he wanted that the salaries and fringe benefits of teachers and their service structure should be better than all other government servants and professionals so that they concentrate on their work and qualified people were attracted to the profession.

Currently, there are not Pashto or Urdu subject specialists in higher secondary schools of the province. Provincial Ministers Hussain Ahmad Kanjo and Amanullah Haqqani, Schools and Literacy Secretary Amjid Shahid Afridi, Education Special Secretary Jamsheed Tanoli, Schools Additional Secretary Ahmad Khan and Schools Director Fazl-i-Manan attended the meeting besides others.