The Sindh High Court (SHC) was informed that around 540 previously closed schools have been reopened, yet 2,769 government schools in the province remain without teachers.
Justice Salahuddin Panhwar, presiding over a single bench of the SHC, was updated on the resumption of the teacher recruitment process and the establishment of a committee to adjust school staffing based on census data.
Regarding the budget for repairing these schools, government officials stated that the finance department had been consulted, and it was decided that 250 public-sector schools would be prioritized in the first phase, a recommendation supported by the Japan International Cooperation Agency.
The SHC issued a show-cause notice to the additional finance secretary for his unexplained absence and summoned the finance secretary to explain the delay in approving the Statement of New Expenditures (SNEs) submitted by the education department for the revival of closed schools. The court is addressing a petition filed in 2019 and has previously issued multiple orders on the matter.
In a recent hearing, the court instructed the education authorities to establish recruitment rules, noting that over 7,000 public school teachers in the province are set to retire by December 2025. The SHC emphasized the need for a policy to ensure no school is closed due to a lack of teaching staff and ordered the initiation of the process to fill upcoming vacancies six months before the retirement of current teachers.
During the hearing, the school education department’s secretary submitted a report complying with the previous court order, indicating that reminders had been sent to the Sindh Public Service Commission (SPSC) regarding teacher appointments.
The bench directed the SPSC chairman to complete the recruitment process within three months.
The report also mentioned that instructions had been issued to all school education directorates and district education officers to prioritize placing newly recruited teachers in schools where staff retirements are imminent.
The court order stated, “Deputy secretary law present contends that subject specialist teachers as recommended by the SPSC will be issued appointment orders within 15 days. Further, it reflects that approximately 540 viable closed schools have been opened and currently 2,769 viable schools are without teachers in Sindh. However, the recruitment process has been restarted. With regard to the increase in the strength of schools as per the census, a committee has been notified.”
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The court reiterated its previous directive for the education secretary to approve the SNEs for all closed schools and for the finance department to sanction all related summaries promptly.
Due to the absence of the additional secretary of the finance department without prior notice, the court issued a show-cause notice and directed the finance secretary to appear and explain the situation.
“The SNEs shall be approved forthwith, in accordance with the orders issued by this Court, to ensure the uninterrupted provision of education, which is enshrined as a fundamental right of every citizen,” the bench added.
The secretary of school education was also instructed to submit a detailed record of all funds received from foreign donors over the past five years, with a warning that failure to comply would require his personal appearance.
Furthermore, the court directed the school education department to implement a policy similar to that of the college department, which mandates a minimum service period for newly appointed teachers within their assigned districts. All appointment orders should explicitly include a clause outlining the consequences of violating the transfer policy, such as the potential revocation of the appointment order if a teacher seeks an early transfer outside their assigned district.
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