SWABI, March 11: Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Education Minister Sardar Hussain Babak on Monday said the BPS-15 certified teachers (CTs), who had completed 10 years regular service in the education department, would be promoted very soon.

He was speaking during a function organised by All CT Association (Acta) at Government High School here.

Elementary and Secondary Education, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Director Rafiq Khattak, Deputy Director Ghulam Mustafa and Acta members attended the function, where teachers and the ruling Awami National Party’s leaders and workers showed up in large numbers.

The minister said one-third of senior CT teachers had already promoted to BPS-16, while promotion of others would be made soon.

He said the promotion cases in question had been approved by the education department and were pending approval of the finance department. He said he was hopeful that the sought-after would come ‘very soon’.

The minister, however, said the promoted teachers would not be gazetted officers but would enjoy all other benefits.

“We have played our role and met the longstanding demand of teachers,” he said.

Mr Babak said he had studied in government educational institutions and knew well about the difficulties faced by their students and teachers.

“We have promoted teachers to improve their position,” he said.

According to him, under the promotion policy, senior primary school teachers have been promoted from BPS-12 to BPS-14 and BPS- 15, and all senior CTs, senior Arabic teachers, senior theology teachers, senior drawing masters and physical education teachers to BPS-16.

“One-third of each cadre has been promoted to BPS-16, while one primary school teacher post in each primary school has been upgraded to BPS-15 and re-designated as primary school head teacher,” he said.

The minister spoke about the initiatives taken by the government for promotion of education over the last five years and said it was the Awami National Party government, which had spent four per cent of GDP on education and established eight new universities in the province.

The elementary and secondary education director spoke about the new promotion policy and role of teachers in imparting modern education to young students of the province badly hit by militancy.

Provincial president of Acta Bakht Afsar said the association had been fighting for the rights of the teachers for long.

“We are happy that the ANP government has met our demand of the teachers’ promotion,” he said.

Provincial Acta chairman Wahab Mansoori and district president Qaisar Khan also spoke on the occasion.