KP Assembly told minority quota teacher posts remain vacant in several districts

PESHAWAR: Members of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly on Tuesday highlighted problems in the implementation of the five per cent job quota for non-Muslims, saying a number of reserved teaching posts in government schools remain unfilled in several districts because eligible minority candidates are not available locally.

The matter was raised on the floor of the house by MPA Ubaid ur Rehman from Lower Dir through a calling attention notice during a sitting chaired by Mohammad Idrees from the panel of chairmen.

Mr Rehman told the assembly that several schoolteacher positions reserved for non-Muslims in northern districts of the province could not be filled because there were no local non-Muslim candidates. He said students in those areas were bearing the consequences, as Muslim candidates from the locality could not be appointed against seats earmarked for minorities.

Referring to an earlier arrangement, he said that in 2022, vacant minority quota posts in union councils where no minority candidates were available had been filled by appointing candidates from the local union council, calling it a workable and effective solution.

“This situation not only raises questions about the effective implementation of the policy but also practically harms the education system,” he said.

He said the continued vacancy of those posts had led to an acute shortage of teachers in schools and was affecting students’ academic performance. He added that the situation was also hindering the provision of children’s right to education under Article 25-A of the Constitution, which deals with free and compulsory education.

The lawmaker urged the government to frame an alternative policy for posts that remain vacant under the minority quota. He said that, as had been done in 2022, permission should be given to fill such positions with local candidates from the relevant union council where no minority applicants are available. He also called for urgent steps to address the shortage of teachers.

PTI MPA Anwar Khan backed the proposal and said the same issue had also blocked teacher appointments in several union councils of Upper Dir, where, he said, non-Muslims were not available. He asked the government to amend the relevant law and policy in the “larger interest of students”, adding that the posts had been advertised repeatedly without result because there was no non-Muslim population in the area.

Education minister explains legal position

Responding to lawmakers, Elementary and Secondary Education Minister Arshad Ayub said many MPAs had already taken up the issue with him.

He told the house that under the existing law, if non-Muslims are not available for quota posts at the district level, candidates from an adjoining district can be recruited against those seats. “If there is no one in the adjacent district, non-Muslims from districts in the same division should be appointed,” he said.

The minister said the law and policy did not address a situation in which no person from a minority community was available even at the divisional level.

At the request of the education minister and the mover, the chair referred the matter to the relevant house committee for detailed discussion and recommendations.

Deforestation issue also raised

During the same sitting, MPA Asif Khan Mehsud informed the assembly about what he described as “ruthless” deforestation in South Waziristan tribal district.

He questioned why centuries-old forest trees were being cut down, saying that if houses could be demolished and people killed over alleged links with militants, then the destruction of forests also needed attention. “I have videos of tree felling and can share them with the speaker as well as treasury and opposition members,” he said.

Mehsud asked the chair to constitute a house committee to examine deforestation in the region, saying the issue had caused panic among local residents.

The sitting was later adjourned until next Monday because of a lack of quorum.