Moalims

RAWALPINDI:
The provincial government is working on a new policy to enhance enrolments in government schools across the province, an official of the Rawalpindi education department said wishing not to be named.

Under the new policy, children of teaching and non-teaching staff, education officials up to the secretary level will be bound to send their children to government schools to help increase enrolments and strength in government schools, some of which have negligible students currently.

According to the official, Provincial Education Secretary Abdul Jabar Shaheen has sent a summary, containing salient features of the new policy, to the chief minister for formal approval. The source claimed that a formal notification in this regard was expected in the second week of February and the next policy will be enforced in the upcoming academic year.

The official also said that the summary has also proposed that teachers should not be engaged for duties such as polio vaccinations, dengue drives or any other such engagements so that they could focus on their basic profession.

The official also said that the teachers who have been working in different election commission offices in 36 districts will also be called back to their respective schools to join their duties.

Meanwhile, leaders of teachers’ unions have hailed the initiative saying that under the new regime, if implemented, they will be able to focus on their original profession once they were relieved of extra duties. They said that polio, dengue and other drives consume most of their time and they could not focus on their procession, which not only compromise their performance but also has bearing on the students and overall result.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 31st, 2016.