Education dept stopped from appointing teachers against management cadre posts

PESHAWAR: The Peshawar High Court (PHC) on Wednesday stopped the Education Department from appointing teaching cadres against management cadre posts and sought a reply from the provincial government within 14 days.

A two-member bench comprising Justice Syed Arshad Ali and Justice Ejaz Khan Sabi observed that several officers, who were serving against the management cadres in the Education Department, had been made officers on special duty (OSDs).

Khalid Rahman Advocate appearing for the petitioners told the court that his clients were officers of the management cadre in grades 16, 17, 18 and 19, who were posted after the separation of the management cadre in the Education Department.

He said various writ petitions were filed in the high court and later in the Supreme Court against this policy introduced in 2009. The counsel said the apex court had rejected the petitions challenging the separation of the management and teaching cadres and had directed the relevant officials to follow the policy.

However, he said that 25 officers of the management cadre had been made OSDs over the last two months in the Education Department after being replaced by teaching cadres. He said that administrative problems arose when the officials of the teaching cadres were posted against the management cadre positions. The counsel said that the provincial government and the Education Department were posting the teaching cadre against the management cadre which was against the education policy. The court issued a notice to the provincial government to submit its reply within 14 days and adjourned the hearing.­