Flawed Recruitment Policy for Teaching Jobs

Teachers play a vital role in nation-building since they are called the architects of nations. Best teachers always build the foundation of nations on High Ideals and great ambitions by giving the clear roadmap to the students to pursue destination. According to saying of Holy Prophet  ( Peace be Upon him) ” I am sent as a teacher  in this world” 

Teachers can never be bad but the Skilled and efficient teachers always carve and shape the future of Students. Unfortunately, in Pakistan, the teaching is not regarded as a respectable profession since we see that in the western world, the teachers are regarded in high esteem and enjoy the perks and privileges like the legislators and elite civil servants.

The massive politicization, victimization, flawed recruitments, referral systems, corruption and the mass negligence has wreaked havoc with this Noble Profession. The malicious terms are also used for teachers which are beyond the boundaries of respect and Honour.

The quota-based recruitment of   Teachers has already invited widespread criticism and wrath of the candidates who fail to obtain the desired level of percentage i.e 60%  in recruitment  Tests conducted by public and private Testing services such as NTS, PTS, OTS, BTS, Sindh University and  Sukkur –IBA  (STS).

Despite registering various complaints regarding the errors in the Answer keys, the candidates are not given the benefit of such errors, The Recent recruitment Test for JEST and ECE in Sindh conducted by SIBA has also become controversial Since Very Few candidates managed to obtain 60% Marks in the test whereas  95% of the candidates Failed in the test terming it very difficult or of high standards above their IQ and Knowledge Level.

The massive politicization, victimization, flawed recruitments, referral systems, corruption and the mass negligence has wreaked havoc with this Noble Profession. The malicious terms are also used for teachers which are beyond the boundaries of respect and Honour.

The Teachers  Recruitment Policy has always remained flawed and influenced by the Feudal Lords and the Legislators who always try their best to get their blue-eyed people appointed and these political appointees never attend their duties and have never been found doing their jobs.

This heinous violation of merit at massive scale has significantly led to the destruction of the very fabric of education and the profession has been under fire due to such unscrupulous people who just get the jobs for money and enjoyment not a service to the nation.  

The Flawed Recruitment policy to appoint teachers through various testing services is also based on fault lines since these testing services conduct MCQs based tests containing  Questions from English, Science, math, GK, Computer and Pedagogy.

The supervisory staff is mostly inefficient and non-vigilant. As result, several ineligible candidates clear the Test by impersonating and using unfair means and become teachers by securing 60% plus Marks in test and given offers letters without conducting an interview and demonstration.

Then, how to make sure that though they have passed the Test and secured the requisite percentage, yet will they be able to teach students in a professional manner?  Do they have the proper teaching skills or what teaching methods will they use for imparting education to thoughts?

The Flawed Recruitment policy to appoint teachers through various testing services is also based on fault lines since these testing services conduct MCQs based tests containing  Questions from English, Science, math, GK, Computer and Pedagogy.

These are  the biggest questions  that need to  be answered  but It is ironic that the teachers who are recruited  through testing services are not interviewed thus children are deliberately handed over to these  amateurs in education who are mostly unaware how to teach as  these are the beneficiaries of this faulty recruitment system  that has awarded the safe passage to these ineligible candidates who passed the Test  by means of impersonation, unfair means and bribery  and in sheer violation of the merit.  

The meritorious candidates whose loftiest dream was just teaching are mostly deprived of teaching jobs and become the victims of this faulty recruitment system that is heavily politicized.

The Heavily politicized Education department has already given birth to various problems such as substandard Education, lack of Teaching, Training and Motivation skills, lack of reading and writing Skills. The Faultlines have plagued the whole education system has caused  rising copy culture and inefficiency that has eaten Education system like a termite.    

If we peep in the past, we will have the precedence of impersonation, unfair means and bribery in various recruitment tests conducted by these traditional Testing services with mushrooming growth and have been squeezing the poor candidates in the guise of  Testing fee and conducting the professional testing without following the International quality standard operating procedures. These so-called testing services have gobbled millions of rupees on the pretext of testing fee and giving nothing in return only OMR sheet and the question Paper to candidates during the test.

There are some reports that the contracts of conducting various recruitments tests are awarded on nepotism and favouritism since It was evident HEC had announced to conduct Test itself and even established its own Testing service but afterwards succumbed to exerted pressure from the supporters of These traditional testing services and shut up its own testing service namely Education testing Council leaving the candidates at the mercy of these money grabbing Testing services.

The corruption, mismanagement, lack of proper scrutiny, rampant impersonation in the recruitment tests, have raised various question marks over the authenticity and credibility of these Testing services calling for the government to mull over this issue.

The corruption, mismanagement, lack of proper scrutiny, rampant impersonation in the recruitment tests, have raised various question marks over the authenticity and credibility of these Testing services calling for the government to mull over this issue.

Either the government should give requisition to Public Service Commission’s (Federal and Provincial) to conduct these recruitment Tests specially the recruitment tests of Teachers or should toughen the conditions for carrying out recruitment tests by following due procedure of Scrutiny, identification, biometric verification and ensuring that  no impersonating person appears on behalf of original candidates to get him passed or qualified for the appointment depriving the deserving candidates of their right.

It is pertinent to say that Government should review the Recruitment policy and bring changes in the recruitment process through the introduction of  Descriptive Tests, Interviews and Demonstration wherever Applicable so that deserving meritorious candidates should find the way to this elevated position and noble profession.

Furthermore , the passing ratio of recently conducted recruitment test by Sukkur IBA may be lowered  to 40% to 45 % as was done in the recruitment phase of school Head Masters so that maximum candidates may be declared as Qualified  followed by conducting Interviews to be conducted by the committee comprising the  members from  the District Education Department, Public Service Commission and from the Secretariat of  Education department i.e Section Officer ,Deputy secretary etc , so that meritocracy may prevail and the standard of education may be improved with induction of  best teachers  who may boost the stagnant literacy rate .

There should be national Teacher Recruitment council just like PMDC and PEC so that all the aspiring teachers must be registered with the National and Provincial Teacher recruitment councils and the council should play the role of managing the various level of teachers starting from Primary, Elementary, Secondary, Higher Secondary Level.

The National Teachers Recruitment Council may maintain the database of teachers and even place them on outsourcing to help a qualified teacher get jobs in the Public and Private sector.

The new recruitment policy for the teachers may be envisaged so that qualified teachers may get the chance to be the part of Public sector institutes and raise the standard of Education by bringing it at par with International Standards.

The Government of  Pakistan especially the Government of Sindh  must take notice of irregularities and mismanagement in the recruitment process  of  Teachers as well as other recruitment tests conducted by mainstream  Testing services Companies i.e NTS , PTS ,ITS ,BTS ,UTS ,GTS  and Sukkur IBA (STS) and bring some policy changes  so that the recruitment  tests may be made transparent and  free  from internal and External involvement which will ultimately contribute to the  prevalence of meritocracy and the  stoppage of  the illegal entry into Government services on the basic of Bribery, impersonation, unfair means  or mismanagement and incompetence of  the Testing Company.