LAHORE: The Punjab School Education Department (SED) has refused thousands of applications filed by schoolteachers seeking premature retirement in the province.

Earlier, the Punjab government had announced a policy offering premature retirement option to all public schools’ teachers over 55 years of age after serving for 25 years.

Thousands of teachers applied for premature retirement, but their applications were not entertained under the new policy.

As per official sources, the new policy includes that no one can avail premature retirement without reaching the age of 55.

New policy restricts facility to those reaching 55 years of age

The sources say that the policy has been revised after school education department calculated its financial liabilities with a view to reduce the ever-growing financial burden on the government, which was spending almost Rs250 billion on salaries of schoolteachers alone annually.

They say the amount is likely to swell to Rs300 billion in the upcoming budget and its major chunk will go to schoolteachers having maximum years in the service, as their annual increments and other perks keep growing over the years.

There are around 50,000 schoolteachers in the province, who are over 55. Of them, around 10,000 are serving in BPS-17 and above.

The sources say the new policy is part of the government’s rightsizing plan by phasing out senior teachers and replacing them with a younger lot through fresh recruitment.

The schoolteachers in BPS-17 and having over 55-year age are getting around Rs100,000 per month, the sources say, adding that at least three fresh teachers could be hired against the same amount.A senior SED official, on condition of anonymity, told Dawn the schoolteachers did not fall under the premature retirement policy, and they had applied without checking the laws.

He says the department has also written to all District Education Authorities (DEAs) of the province to refuse such applications they have received so far.

He says the teachers have also been asked to ensure their presence in their respective schools, otherwise they will be removed from the service.

Punjab Teachers Union (PTU) leader Rana Liaqat says the withdrawing of the premature retirement option will create problems for the teachers.

He says earlier the teachers, after completing 25 years in the department, could avail retirement option, but the new policy has imposed a restriction that no one could retire before reaching 55 years of age.

He says that by opting for premature retirement under the old policy the teachers could get a better post-service financial package, including pension and other benefits.

He says the government should continue the old policy and start new recruitment because the school education department was already facing a shortage of around 100,000 teachers.

Published in Dawn, April 16th, 2022