CM orders appointment of 6,000 new elementary school teachers
Karachi:February 16:Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah on Thursday directed the education department to recruit 6,000 Junior Elementary School Teachers (JEST) for the opening of new English medium schools.
The CM was presiding over a meeting of the education department (schools) at the CM House, said a statement. The meeting was attended by education minister Jam Mehtab Dahar, planning & development (P&D) chairman Mohammad Waseem, principal secretary to CM Sohail Rajput, education secretary (schools) Iqbal Durani and other officers.
The education secretary told the CM that out of the 25 under construction school buildings, 15 English medium schools were ready to start. Durani said the school buildings which had been completed were are in Shaheed Benazirabad, Sukkur, Larkana, Naushahro Feroze, Sanghar, Khairpur, Mirpurkhas, Tando Mohammad Khan, Ghotki, Thatta, Badin, Sujawal, Matiari, Tando Allahyar and Jamshoro.
The schools that would be completed in 2018 and 2019 are in Hyderabad, Umerkot, Dadu, Qambar-Shahdadkot, Jacobabad, Tharparkar and Malirwhile, he said, adding that the construction of three other schools would be started next year in Shikarpur, Kashmore and Karachi.
Durani told the CM the sanctioned new expenditure (SNE) of five schools had been approved, while the SNE of 10 others was yet to be approved by the finance department. On this, the CM expressed his displeasure and asked finance department officials to bring the relevant file. Subsequently, the chief minister approved the SNE of the 10 schools.
Shah directed the secretary education to invite expression of interest from leading educationists and educational institutions. "I want to run these English medium schools through private management," he said. “This would help establish best schools in the public sector.”
The government would bear all the expenditures, including tuition fee, text books, exercise material, registration and examination fee, and salaries of the teaching and non-teaching staff, he said, adding that the private partners would have to run the management effectively.
"I want to start these English medium schools by the end of April," he said. Durani told the CM that the formation rules for the recruitment of 6,000 new teachers was in process. “Under the approved arrangement, each English edium school would have 69 staff members, including 39 teaching staff. The furniture for 15 schools has been purchased.”
Every school would have a fully equipped science and computer labs, a best library and standby generator, he said, adding that the Cambridge system would be followed in these schools. On this, the CM said it was quite difficult for the government to recruit the best O-Levels teachers in rural areas and, therefore, the task may be given to top educational institutions.
The education minister and the education secretary (schools) were assigned the task to talk to leading educational institutions for running the management of these English medium schools and then the selection would be made through a competitive process.
Replying to a question, Durrani said out of 25 comprehensive high schools six units would be ready by March, while nine others would be ready in December. The tendering process of the reaming 10 school was at an advanced stage, he added.
The CM said the teachers for the early childhood education should be recruited through a competitive process and the new teachers must be good in English, science and mathematics. “The question papers for selection of teachers should be made accordingly. The teacher training programmes are most important and he a comprehensive plan should be formulated for the capacity building of the teachers.”The news.
