PESHAWAR: The elementary and secondary education department has planned to begin second shift in government schools on Aug 1 to address overcrowded classrooms in the first shift.

Officials told Dawn that the second shift would be launched in schools with 60 or more students in one classroom.

They said a class would have 40 students at maximum in line with the education policy.

The officials said overcrowded classes badly affected the learning of students.

They said the ‘double shift programme’ would also create space in schools for higher classes as the primary school buildings would be used to start middle schools in the evening and the middle schools’ for high schools and the high schools’ for higher secondary schools.

Officials say 100 schools selected for initiative, number to reach 400 in three months

The officials said Rs110 million had been allocated to take the initiative in settled districts and Rs35 million for merged tribal districts.

They said initially, around 100 government schools would be selected for the purpose and the number would go up to 400 in the next two to three months in light of the lessons learned.

The officials said the second shift would begin at 3pm and end at 7:30pm.

They said the issues regarding payment of salary to teachers could surface due to the fixed meagre pay.

The officials said the government had fixed Rs12,000 for the teachers of primary schools, Rs15,000 for the middle schools’, Rs18,000 for the high schools’ and Rs20,000 for the higher secondary schools’.

They said the salary fixed for teachers were less than Rs21,000 announced by the government for unskilled workers.

The officials said first of all, the teachers working in the first shift of the same schools had to be hired to teach students in the second shift and if those teachers were not interested in the second shift job, then the teachers of the nearest government schools would be hired for the purpose.

They said if teachers of government schools were not available for second shift, the parent-teacher council of every school would hire teachers from the market for the already fixed salary.

The officials said for such hiring, the PTCs would announce vacancies in the local community through social media, mosques, handouts and public notices for inviting applications.

They said the head master or principal concerned, as the secretary/member of the PTC, would shortlist potential candidates using the qualification criteria.

The officials said the educational qualification of teachers to be hired from the market by the PTCs for primary schools was at least second class BA/BSc or equivalent as the case might be, at least second class master’s degree, four-year BS (Hons) or equivalent for the those of middle schools and at least second class master’s degree in relevant subject for high and higher secondary schools.

They said a high-level committee would select schools for second shift.

The elementary and secondary education minister is the chairman of the committee, which has the special secretary (education), director (education) and director of the Education Sector Reforms Unit, additional secretary (finance), director of the Education Monitoring Authority, and district education officer concerned as members.

Published in Dawn, July 17th, 2021