LOWER DIR: Youth having graduated from universities on Sunday demanded of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government and high-ups of the elementary and secondary education department (E&SED) to immediately announce schedule for recruitment of fresh teachers to public sector schools.

Talking to Dawn here, several youths complained that they had completed their BS and MS courses from various universities. They said that more than 2,000 posts of different cadres from grade 12 to 17 were lying vacant only in the Lower Dir district, but the authorities had failed to induct fresh graduated youths.

They said the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government had declared an education emergency in the province, but practically it did nothing to fill the thousands of vacant posts of teachers of various cadres in the province.

They demanded of the authorities concerned to start the process of teachers’ induction into the public sector schools.

Meanwhile, a source in the E&SED told Dawn on contact that a total of 2,401 posts of different cadres were lying vacant in 1,572 government schools only in Lower Dir district.

The source said that there were 1,572 government schools, including 1,238 primary, 143 middle, 129 high and 62 higher secondary schools, in the district. “A total of 783 posts of primary schoolteachers, 268 posts in middle schools, 575 in high and 775 in government higher secondary schools have been lying vacant for the last two years,” he said.

The source said that the number of vacant posts increased each month due to retirement of in-service teachers in the district.

The unemployed youths said the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government should immediately start the process of teachers’ recruitment if it was sincere in the promotion of education in the province.

Published in Dawn, January 6th, 2025