LAYYAH, Nov 16: Transfer of several schoolteachers by the Layyah education authorities fly in the face of the ban imposed by the chief minister.
Information gathered by this correspondent revealed that EDO (Education) Qazi Qadir Bakhsh Qureshi had transferred some teachers to ingratiate himself with his superiors. And the approach has deprived a large number of students of education as the transfers have made many schools ‘non-functional’.
There are 1,584 government schools in 44 union councils of the district. Most of these schools are situated in rural areas where nearly 85 per cent of the district population resides. A vast majority of teachers is reluctant to serve in rural areas.
What makes the situation worse for the students is indifference of teachers who just visit institutes (in rural areas) to mark their attendance, making the learners approach them at their private academies.
The Punjab government had banned transfer of teachers on June 2, 2008, to ensure presence of academics in rural areas. Among some of the recent transfers, Bushra Parveen, a PTC, was transferred from the Girls Model Community School, Basti Joya, to the primary school, Mehr Abdul Haqwala; Nasreen Akhtar, a SST, from girls high school, Khokharwala, to Islamia High school, Layyah city; Khalida Parveen from girls middle school, Chak 146-TDA, to high school, Layyah city; Maria Qaisar, an ESE (a contract teacher) from girls high school, Paharpur, to girls middle school, Bibi Geewala, Layyah city; and Balqees Fatima, a PTC, from girls primary school, Chak 423-TDA, to high school at Chak 156-TDA, Ludhana.
A source in the education department revealed that these transfers had been made with bogus entries showing dates prior to the ban imposed on transfers by the chief minister.
He substantiated his claim by saying that the malpractice could be checked through record of last salary drawn and attendance register.
EDO (Education) Qazi Qadir Bakhsh Qureshi told Dawn that he was bound to honour the advice of local parliamentarians.
PML-N’s Mehr Fazal Husain Sumra, who heads the district education-sector reform programme, took exception to the violation which had made dozens of schools non-functional in Choubara tehsil.