ATTOCK - : As many as nine primary schools in Attock district, out sourced to private sector have been without teachers for the last one month putting future of the students at stake. Thousands of schools have been out sourced across Punjab with the stance of the government that quality of education will be improved and burden on public exchequer will also be reduced. The schools without teachers include GPS Tora Bera GPS Pirkot, GPS Arang, GPS Kolyar, GPS Dhok Loharan, GPS Jogimera, GPS Mararia, GGPS Dhok Mari and GPS Ghari Matani. On the other hand, teachers performing their duties in public sector schools opine that earlier in these schools highly qualified teachers were available and now private sector is hiring teachers for these schools who are not qualified. As per the sources, more than two hundred schools have been outsourced in Attock while more than five thousand schools have been outsourced across the Punjab. An executive officer of the NGO who owned these schools when contacted said that teachers will soon be appointed for these schools. In some areas, community is protesting against this decision and are saying that this decision of Punjab government is against the constitution of the country and must be taken back. During first phase, 5800 schools have been outsourced, in second phase 5800 schools while in third phase 3000 schools will be outsourced.
A retired education officer Fakhar e Alam Khattak while talking to this journalist said that this decision of the government regarding outsourcing public sector schools was against the constitution as provision of education to every citizen was the responsibility of the government. He said earlier highly qualified teachers were teaching the students in outsourced schools and now hardly matriculate teachers were being hired to run these schools. Mr Khattak said that government must reconcile over this decision and must stop outsourcing the schools. He further said that this decision will also increase unemployment as highly educated youth will be unable to get jobs in education sector.
