Punjab education teacher shortage: Punjab, the most populous province in Pakistan, is currently grappling with a daunting challenge in its education sector – a shortage of a staggering 115,000 school teachers. This deficiency has far-reaching implications for the quality and effectiveness of education in the region. Vacancies for primary teachers in Punjab public schools have increased by 45,000 from 70,000 to 115,000.
According to news reports, more than 9,000 primary schools across the province are experiencing a severe teacher shortage. Each of these primary schools has a maximum of two to three teachers.
Also, the number of Primary School Teacher (PST) vacancies in Lahore has exceeded 1500. Due to a shortage of teachers, it is difficult to provide transfer to other schools. Meanwhile, female teachers have been forced to teach students far from their homes for more than five years.
Notably, during the previous government, the Punjab Public Service Commission (PPSC) was tasked with reviewing the recruitment of 14,000 teachers. However, due to the change of government, the teacher selection process was stopped.
In addition, there is a requirement to recruit 30,000 Learning Support Teams (IST) for secondary schools across the province, as well as more than 15,000 Student Success Teams (SST) for secondary schools.
Officials estimate that 30,000 teachers are expected to retire by 2027. The Department of School Education has warned that if new teachers are not recruited, the education system could be significantly affected in the next three years.
Conclusion
Punjab’s education system confronts a severe shortage of 115,000 teachers, especially impacting primary schools and resulting in widespread vacancies. Recruitment halts due to governmental changes worsen the situation. Urgency mounts with 30,000 teachers set to retire by 2027. Failure to address this shortage promptly could have significant consequences for Punjab’s education quality and effectiveness shortly.
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