LAHORE: The Punjab government is considering disciplinary action against teachers and union leaders after a province-wide boycott of the Training Need Assessment (TNA) tests. The tests by the School Education Department (SED) is aimed at assessing the training requirements of teachers by evaluating essential teaching competencies.

Only 80 out of 43,000 primary school teachers (PSTs) attended the test on Saturday, and less than a hundred appeared on Sunday. The SED had established 720 centres across the province, with each centre scheduled to host 60 teachers for an online MCQ-based assessment.

The SED sent a letter to all deputy commissioners and district police officers (DPOs) on Sunday for enhanced security at the centres, citing incidents where certain individuals disrupted the tests by intimidating and harassing teachers. The SED secretary issued directives to all chief executive officers (CEOs) of district education authorities to investigate those involved in the disruptions. The letter emphasises the SED’s zero-tolerance approach to intimidation or misinformation, describing the acts as violations of the Punjab Employees Efficiency, Discipline, and Accountability Act. Officials were required to compile a list of those responsible for the disturbances and submit it by Oct 28. The letter also outlines potential disciplinary actions, including the lodging of FIRs and suspension or other penalties for teachers who hindered the test process.

A spokesperson for the SED said that the government had increased security efforts after several incidents were reported during the first two days of the test. In an effort to accommodate teachers unable to attend in person due to security concerns or other commitments, the SED has introduced a remote assessment option via the TNA-SED app. Teachers can now complete the assessment online from the comfort of their homes, following this schedule: Primary School Teachers (Oct 27 and 28 at 9pm); Elementary School Teachers (Oct 28 and 29 at 9pm); Secondary School Teachers, Subject Specialists, Senior Subject Specialists, Senior Head Masters, Head Masters, Deputy Head Masters, and Principals (Oct 29 and 30 at 9pm).

The SED has issued a stern warning that teachers who do not complete the assessment by the Oct 30 deadline will face disciplinary measures under existing laws. These measures include potential salary stoppage for non-compliance. Furthermore, interviews for teachers who complete the online assessment by Oct 30 will starting from Oct 31.

The Grand Teachers Alliance (GTA) of Punjab and the Punjab Teachers Union (PTU) vow to continue the boycott. GTA Convener Muhammad Bashir Warraich warned that if district officers initiated actions against teachers, the unions would respond with protests and sit-ins at their offices until punitive actions were withdrawn. PTU General Secretary Rana Liaqat reiterated that teachers would not bow to government pressure or actions that compromise their professional dignity. He said that the government was issuing explanation letters and show-cause notices to the union leaders and other teachers, but they would not stop agitation until their demands were accepted. He said that less than 100 teachers appeared to give tests in all the districts of the province, and now the government was planning to give teachers the opportunity to take tests from home. He said that the government was planning to remove teachers from their jobs and sack them for not passing the test.

Published in Dawn, October 28th, 2024