Govt decides to start 2nd shift in KP schools

PESHAWAR: The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government has decided to start a second shift in public sector schools of the province.

According to an official handout, it was decided in a meeting of the Elementary and Secondary Education Department held on Monday with Chief Minister Mahmood Khan in the chair. Provincial Minister for Elementary and Secondary Education Shahram Khan Tarakai, Chief Secretary Kazim Niaz, Secretary Elementary and Secondary Education Nadeem Aslam Chaudhry, Secretary Finance Atif Rehman, Special Secretary to Chief Minister Muhammad Khaliq and

others attended the meeting. The participants were briefed about commencement of second shift in schools, transfer of teachers under the e-transfer policy and other important matters.

The meeting was informed that a comprehensive policy for second shift in schools had been prepared in consultation with the Law and Establishment departments.

A committee, headed by provincial minister for education, has been constituted to implement the policy in letter and spirit. “Double shifts will be started in public sector schools on need basis, and criteria to determine the need for any school has been incorporated in the policy,” the meeting was informed. The participants were told that teachers of the same school where the second shift was to be started would be given first priority for teaching and if the teacher was not available for the second shift in the school, then teachers would be hired from a nearby school.

The stipend structure for the teachers of the second shift was also approved. Briefing about the e-transfer policy of the department, it was decided that transfer of teachers under the e-transfer policy would be made once in a year as per the academic year so that educational activities were not affected. Transfer of teachers from BPS-12 to BPS-18 would be made under the policy as per the pre-defined criteria, it was added. The meeting decided to devolve the posting transfer powers of grade 19 and 20 teaching cadre staff of the department to the lower level. The officials told the meeting that since the financial year 2013-14, provision of missing facilities, including clean drinking water, electricity, washrooms and boundary walls had been completed in 68 percent of the total schools.

The chief minister directed the officials of the Education Department to ensure the provision of facilities in the remaining schools. Stressing the need for introducing a uniform examination system in all the educational boards of the province, Mahmood Khan directed the department to work out a plan for this purpose. He directed the quarters concerned to fill out all the vacancies in the educational boards and install CCTV cameras in the examination halls.