Primary education in Punjab is in crisis, as the number of unfilled teaching posts has soared to a staggering 115,000, up from 70,000 last year. This means that one in every four primary teachers is missing from the classrooms.
A news report revealed that more than 9,000 primary schools in the province are operating with only two or three teachers each, putting a huge strain on the quality of education and the workload of the staff. In Lahore alone, there are 1,500 vacancies for Primary School Teachers (PSTs), making it hard for teachers to get transfers to schools closer to their homes. Female teachers are especially affected, as some of them have to travel long distances to teach students in remote areas.
The situation is the result of a stalled recruitment process that was initiated by the previous government. The Punjab Public Service Commission (PPSC) was supposed to hire 14,000 new teachers, but the process was halted after the change of government. In addition, the province needs 30,000 Instructional Support Teams (ISTs) for middle schools and 15,000 Student Success Teams (SSTs) for higher secondary schools, but there is no plan to fill these positions.
Officials warn that the teacher shortage will have serious consequences for the education system in the next three years, as 30,000 more teachers are expected to retire by 2027. They urge the government to resume the recruitment process and fill the gaps as soon as possible before the situation becomes irreversible.