LAHORE: Hundreds of aspiring teachers across Punjab are facing frustration and the risk of missing a crucial career opportunity as the official online portal for applying to 15,146 vacant school teacher intern (STI) posts remains non-functional, just days before the application deadline.
The candidates have reported that the STI Portal (https://sti.pesrp.edu.pk), the only channel to apply for the positions, has been consistently ‘down’ or ‘not working’, preventing them from completing their applications.
“I have been trying to apply for the STI post for the last five days, and the portal is not working,” said Kiran Zahra, a candidate from Alipur. “I cannot complete my application and am worried I will miss this opportunity.”
Another applicant, Khadija Fatima, said she was trying to apply for the post three to four times in the morning and evening daily but was not able to file an application. She said the candidates like her were receiving the message, “The gateway did not receive a timely response from the upstream server or application”.
Candidates panic as application process is set to close on 21st
The recruitment drive, approved by the Punjab cabinet on Nov 5, aims to fill 30,000 positions for ‘visiting teachers’ in its first phase to address a massive shortage of teaching staff in the province. As many as 15,146 school teacher interns (STIs) are being hired right now.
The School Education Department (SED) is grappling with a total vacancy of 115,000 teachers. The vacancies for the STIs are spread across primary, middle, high, and higher secondary schools. In Lahore alone, 276 schools have vacant STI seats, with the highest numbers in Cantonment (95), City (62), Raiwind (47), Shalimar Town (40), and Model Town (32) tehsils.
According to the official schedule, the application process that began on Nov 12 is set to close on Nov 21. The merit list is to be displayed on Nov 26, with interviews on Nov 29, and the final list of selected candidates on Nov 30.
The candidates are required to deposit an application processing fee of Rs1,000 for each internship they apply for.
Despite the widespread complaints from applicants, an SED official claimed that the department had already received 150,000 applications through the portal. This contradiction has heightened anxiety among the candidates who have been unable to access the system.
The recruitment drive has also drawn criticism from teachers’ unions regarding the employment model. Instead of permanent appointments, the government is hiring 30,000 teachers on a ‘visiting basis,’ with salaries to be paid per lecture.
Rana Liaqat, general secretary of the Punjab Teachers Union (PTU), argues that the province’s severe shortage of 115,000 teachers can only be addressed through permanent recruitment.
“The visiting teachers will be given a salary on a daily wage model, and it will create additional problems for the schools,” he says while speaking to Dawn.
He has urged the government to initiate permanent appointments within the school department.
The government has stated that additional funds will be released to the school councils for salaries of these visiting teachers, and the councils will also generate their own funds to meet school expenditures.
School Education Department Secretary Khalid Nazir was unavailable for comments despite repeated attempts to contact him.
With the Nov 21 deadline approaching fast, candidates are urging the education department to immediately rectify the technical issues with the portal to ensure a fair and accessible application process for all.
Published in Dawn, November 18th, 2025.
