PESHAWAR: Chief Minister Pervez Khattak said on Thursday that the provincial government was focusing on improvement of quality of education and for this purpose it had introduced a policy of reward and punishment based on performance.

Speaking at the ‘Best Performing Principals, Headmasters and Teachers Incentive Awards’ ceremony here, he said that introduction of reward and punishment policy had resulted in increased enrolment and presence of teachers in educational institutions.

He said that the government constructed and covered missing facilities in schools and simultaneously launched mandatory training courses for teachers.

An official statement said that Rs110 million was allocated in current budget to distribute cash awards among 1,920 best performing principals, headmasters and teachers of 240 schools across the province. It said that the award was launched in 2014 to motivate teachers and Rs55 million was allocated for the purpose.

Best teachers honoured on World Teachers’ Day

The chief minister said that children needed textbooks and improved examination system. He said that 35,000 competent teachers had been recruited through a merit-based process. He said that school buildings never completed without adequate classrooms, bathrooms, electricity and drinking water. He said that the government provided missing infrastructure in 20,000 schools by involving local communities and parents and thus spending the highest percentage of the budget on education among all the provinces.

In Timergara, Lower Dir, headmasters and teachers of 13 high and higher secondary schools for boys were given cash prizes and commendation certificates on Thursday on the occasion of World Teachers’ Day for their best performance during the academic year.

The Elementary and Secondary Education Department, Lower Dir, in this regard arranged a function at the government high school, Mian Banda, which was chaired by deputy commissioner Attaur Rehman. Teachers of government schools, students and officers of the education department attended the function.

District education officer Hafiz Mohammad Ibrahim, principal Humayun Khan and Timergara tehsil nazim Riaz Mohammad spoke on the occasion.

The DC and DEO distributed total Rs5.85 million cash prizes along with commendation certificates among heads and teachers of 13 already selected schools of the district. The schools’ heads were given Rs100,000 each while a total of 91 teachers were awarded Rs50,000 each.

Speaking on the occasion, the deputy commissioner said the World Teachers’ Day was aimed at mobilising communities to respect teachers. He said that the teachers needed improved skills for ensuring quality education in the country.

Meanwhile, like the previous year the teachers of government postgraduate college, Timergara, held a protest rally against the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government for not accepting their demands, including upgradation and grant of professional allowance. The college teachers observed the World Teachers’ Day as ‘black day’ by wearing black armbands and boycotting their classes.

Speaking on the occasion, the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Professors and Lecturers Association’s acting president Imranullah demanded of the government to announce upgradation and professional allowance for college teachers and regularise the services of teaching assistants.

Published in Dawn, October 6th, 2017