KHYBER: Abrupt termination of employment contracts of 3000 hired teachers for government primary schools in the province by the provincial education authorities rendered around 300 highly qualified teachers jobless in the district.
Sources in the Education Department said on October 19 that the provincial government had hired the services of these teachers, both male and female in March 2022, on a one-year contract to temporarily fill the vacant posts at the primary school level.
They said that around three hundred male and female teachers were employed in 87 government primary schools in Khyber district. Their contracts were later extended in March 2023 for another year, but were abruptly terminated by the provincial education department without any prior notice to the hired teachers.
Tanzeem-i-Asateza president Shareefullah told media persons at Landi Kotal Press Club that the sudden termination of these hired teachers resulted in a shortage of primary teachers in the district. He asserted that the standard of education had considerably improved with the induction of contract teachers. “On the one hand, the government is struggling to increase the number of students in the state’s schools, while on the other hand, qualified teachers are rendered jobless due to flawed policies,” he regretted.
He warned that his association would hold a demonstration at the provincial assembly buildings if the contracts of terminated teachers were not renewed by the end of this month.
Published in Dawn, October 20th, 2024
