LAHORE
Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif approved Punjab Education Standard Development Authority, which will be responsible for certification of teachers, and directed demotion of 300 head-teachers, who underperformed with respect to a defined set of performance measurement criteria.
The CM chaired a meeting to review measures taken under the Chief Minister’s School Reforms Roadmap. It was decided in the meeting to establish a separate authority for looking after matters relating to schools running under public-private partnership.
The participants of the meeting expressed satisfaction over the implementation of School Reforms Roadmap and appreciated the steps taken by the Punjab government in this regard.
Shahbaz Sharif said Punjab Education Standard Development Authority will help improve teaching abilities of teachers. He said teachers showing good performance will be given prizes while those displaying poor performance will be held accountable.
Parliament Secretary Schools Education told the chief minister that the School Education Department (SED) had identified top ten percent (10pc) and the bottom ten percent (10pc) of teachers from each board in Punjab using a defined set of performance measurement criteria. He told the CM that proposal for reward for the top–tier teachers was being finalised in the committee on teacher motivation, headed by the chief secretary, while action was taken against 300 head-teachers from the set of under-performing teachers. When the Parliamentary Secretary Schools Education told the CM that as a punishment, these 300 teachers were being transferred to far-flung areas, the CM objected to this notion and said that it will turn out to be a punishment for the students of far-flung areas who already have issues. Shahbaz Sharif directed that these 300 underperforming head-teachers be demoted instead of being transferred.
British Educationist Sir Michael Barber gave a briefing on implementation of School Reforms Roadmap. The CM said that implementation of School Reforms Roadmap is yielding positive results with regard to improvement of education sector. He said steps taken under School Reforms Roadmap are helping in raising the standard of education. He said that education is the key to rapid progress besides being helpful in overcoming problems like terrorism and extremism. The CM said that Punjab government has enrolled more than 70 thousand children who were engaged in child labour and admission of so many children in schools after rescuing them from child labour is the first example in South Asia. He said that teachers’ training programme is of fundamental importance in the promotion of quality education as only competent and talented teachers can impart knowledge to students. He directed that full attention should be paid to teachers’ training under teachers training programme and modern technology should also be utilised for capacity-building of teachers.
UK-aid Department of International Development Deputy Head and Head of Basic Services Group Ms Judith Herberston stressed the need to focus on educating the female child and highlighted the challenges faced in maintaining a high percentage of girls’ enrollment especially through secondary and higher secondary education and shared that this demography poses an uphill task especially in the southern parts of the province.
The CM issued instructions for setting up a special committee for monitoring of teachers’ training programme and said he will personally head this committee. He said the committee would look after the matters regarding teachers’ training programme on regular basis and ensure speedy implementation of this programme. He directed that institutions should be upgraded for training of teachers and new training institutes should be set up immediately if needed. He directed that teachers’ training programme should be further improved with the consultation of international experts.
The CM said teachers’ training programme is a big challenge and it will have to be met efficiently. He said the Punjab government has recruited more than 1.5 lakh talented and competent teachers on merit and the process of recruitment of 80 thousand more teachers during current year has been started. He said these teachers recruited on merit will have to give results. He said the programme of setting up of IT labs and provision of tablets in schools has yielded positive results and these measures of the Punjab government are helping in imparting latest knowledge to children. He said a revolutionary action plan is being implemented for improving the rate of enrollment of children in schools. He said provision of better transport facilities can help in bringing more children to schools. He said hotline pilot project has been initiated for apprising people of the steps taken for improvement of schools. He said this project has initially been started in Bahawalpur and Lahore. He said after success of this project it will be introduced throughout the province. He said that a plan has been devised to construct 36,302 additional classrooms in schools up to 2018. He said additional classrooms are being set up in schools under Khadim-e-Punjab Schools Programme. The meeting also gave approval to recruitment of 1,350 assistant educational officers.