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Tuesday March 19, 2024

LHC stops appointment of educators

By Our Correspondent
February 22, 2018

LAHORE: The Lahore High Court on Wednesday stopped process for appointment of educators in four districts of Punjab and directed the provincial education department to submit a written reply.

Justice Shahid Jamil Khan issued this order while hearing petitions filed by several candidates questioning eligibility criteria and alleged discrimination despite having equivalence certificates from the Higher Education Commission (HEC). The counsel argued that HEC had already declared the sanad/degree of registered madaaras/religious seminaries equal to master degree. However, he said the provincial government refused to entertain the candidates with degrees of Shahadatul Almiya despite equivalence certificates issued by the HEC.

The counsel of the petitioners argued before the court that the government had not been entertaining candidates having degrees of “Shahadatul Almiya” which stood equal to MA Islamiat. The lawyers asked the court to stop the appointment process and order the government to entertain applications of the petitioners. Another lawyer represented petitioners having degrees of Bachelor of Science (four-year programme) and said the degree was equal to master as per the HEC. However, the government refused to entertain the petitioners for the posts of the educators from BS-9 to 16. The court stayed the impugned process of the appointment till next hearing. The judge directed a law officer to submit a written reply on behalf of the government by March 5.