Panel to review teachers’ recruitment issues

Karachi
The Sindh education and literacy department has formed a four-member enquiry committee to review grievances and issues related to the recruitment of teachers through the National Testing Service (NTS).
The committee, chaired by Special Secretary Schools Alia Shahid, includes Additional Secretary Schools Zakir Shah, Chief Programme Manager Reform Support Unit (RSU) Saba Mahmood and Section Officer Fahim Ahmed Chachar.
The committee would address grievances in a fair and transparent manner and also develop a mechanism for the systematic restitution of complaints.
In the first review session, to be held on Monday February 23, the panel will enquire into 10 complaints that had been received through various sources, an RSU official said.
Secretary Education Dr Fazlullah Pechuho is keen to recruit teachers on the basis of merit so that the quality of teaching in schools across the province improves. “The process is fair and transparent,” he said, adding, “Complaints and grievances are also being assessed in a fair and transparent manner.”
The NTS is a firm hired through competitive bidding in November 2012 to conduct written tests of candidates applying for the positions of Primary School Teacher (PST), Junior School Teacher (JST) and High School Teacher (HST).
The tests for HST were conducted in December 2012 and for both JST and PST in January 2013.
After the tests, the results were shared by the NTS with the education department’s RSU, which is supported by the World Bank. The results were also posted on the NTS website.
The documents of candidates who qualified were verified by the District Recruitment Committees in each district of the province and the recommendations were approved by the WB, which issued no objection letters before job offers were issued to the successful candidates.