MULTAN: The Education Department has cancelled promotions of 111 primary school teachers in Bhakkar district and issued show cause notices to 21 others after the report of an inquiry into the poor annual results this year was submitted by the district education officer. Sixteen teachers were fined Rs1,000 each.
After poor results in March, the Punjab Examination Commission had ordered an inquiry into the reasons. The inquiry teams had interviewed school principals, teachers and students in the investigation.
The inquiry teams had concluded that teachers’ absenteeism had been a major reason behind the poor results.
Deputy District Education Officer Sofia Naureen, who supervised the inquiry, told The Express Tribune on Sunday that less than five per cent students had passed the annual board examinations under these teachers. She said the overall passing percentage at the 139 primary schools for girls in the district had been less than 25.
She said the teachers found guilty of negligence would be monitored for a year.
“We have also increased focus on improving the emergency enrollment programme at girls’ schools in the district,” she said.
She said monthly reports on teachers’ performance would be submitted to the executive district officer.
She said performance of district monitoring officers will also be monitored. She said officers have been instructed to inspect schools without prior notice.
Separately on Saturday, District Education Officer Rashida Ashraf visited three girls’ primary schools in the district. Nine teachers were found absent from duty without informing their school heads
Ashraf issued them show cause notices and sought explanation from them. She also directed the officials concerned to depute a watchman at each of the girls’ schools.
Published in The Express Tribune, December 9th, 2013.