According to documents, approximately 200 teachers within the higher education department, deployed across various government degree colleges throughout Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, receive salaries despite not conducting classes. This discrepancy arises from their placement in inappropriate positions.
Official records indicate that an additional 679 teachers in government colleges fail to fulfill the required credit hours. The department’s policy mandates two credit hours per day, yet these teachers manage only one credit hour.
The Directorate of Higher Education has established a workload of 12 credit hours per week for each teacher. Exceptions are granted for three credit hours to faculty members assigned additional responsibilities such as coordinators, controllers, examiners, and chief proctors.
The Secretary of the Higher Education Department (HED) states efforts are underway to rectify these irregularities in teacher placements.
Conversely, the haphazard transfers and placements have burdened 808 teachers
across different colleges, compelling them to undertake extra classes due to staff shortages. Data illustrates that among the affected, six professors in BPS-20, 33 associate professors in BPS-19, 61 assistant professors in BPS-18, and 85 lecturers in BPS-17 are absent from classes.
Furthermore, there are 31 professors in BPS-20, 195 associate professors in BPS-19, 163 assistant professors in BPS-18, and 285 lecturers in BPS-17 who only attend half of their classes. Additionally, 16 professors in BPS-20, 84 associate professors in BPS-19, 238 assistant professors in BPS-18, and 270 lecturers in BPS-17 are excessively burdened, attending classes beyond their capacity.
Secretary Arshed Khan aims to rationalize teacher placements in government colleges for the benefit of students. He has gathered data on student enrollment and teacher distribution in colleges.
Recently, he declined a proposal to transfer two teachers to a government college due to an existing teaching staff of 88 students. However, in a colle
ge in Karak, 400 students lacked an assigned teacher. Khan instructed the immediate deployment of three teachers to address this gap.
To address the teacher-student ratio, Khan conducts daily interviews with college principals to assess their staffing and facility needs. Sources indicate that the minister and secretaries of higher education bear responsibility for the irrational transfer of teachers. They highlight instances where teachers are incorrectly placed in positions unrelated to their expertise, resulting in academic disruptions.
Teachers allegedly utilize their connections with lawmakers, ministers, and higher authorities to secure inappropriate placements. Principals of government degree colleges also express concern over these misplacements, citing academic setbacks for students.
Source: Pro Pakistani