Penalties over poor indicators in schools withdrawn.

Byline: Imran Gabol

LAHORE -- The Punjab School Education Department (SED) has announced ending the Shahbaz-era system of punishing schoolteachers for poor cleanliness, low attendance of students, less enrollment and other administrative issues.

Teacher unions have long been protesting against the heavy fines and stoppage of promotion over not achieving targets under the Chief Minister Roadmap.

District education officers would carry out monthly inspections of schools in their areas to check 14 indicators which included teachers and student's attendance, retention, boundary wall, cleanliness in classrooms and washrooms, Universal Primary Education, classroom furniture, electricity, fan and other facilities. Monitoring teams imposed fines from Rs5,000 to 10,000 on teachers for missing indicators.

They were also penalized over different poor indicators like low attendance of students and they were directed to visit the residences of absentees a number of times to convince their parents to ensure their children's presence in school.

Teachers unions lodged complaints time and again with the department against fines over missing facilities, saying teachers could not be hold responsible for poor cleanliness and absence of drinking water, electricity and furniture in schools. They demanded the posting of sweepers to ensure cleanliness and provision of funds for fixing water, sanitation, electricity and other issues.

Unions protested against the imposition of fine and stopping their promotion over poor indicators several times and termed it injustice.

SED Secretary Irum Bokhari told Dawn it was not the duty of teachers to clean school as there should a sweeper to do the job. She said in the past some teachers were forced to clean washrooms and they were also fined for poor enrollment in the school, not having drinking water and other facilities.

Ms Bukhari said the department was working to devise a new framework under which CEOs, DEAs, DEOs and administration of the school would be...