Punjab orders quarterly DPC meetings for teacher promotions

LAHORE: The Punjab School Education Department has made it mandatory for Chief Executive Officers (CEOs) of District Education Authorities to hold Departmental Promotion Committee (DPC) meetings four times a year to speed up the disposal of promotion cases.

According to an official notification issued on August 29, 2026, DPC meetings must be conducted during the first week of January, April, July and October every year.

The department has also directed education authorities to complete the related administrative process within the prescribed timelines. SIS tagging is to be completed during the third week of each of these months, while promotion actualisation must be completed by the fourth week.

The directives have been issued to all CEOs across Punjab with strict instructions to ensure timely implementation. The department warned that proceedings would be initiated against officials who fail to comply with the schedule and strict action would be taken against defaulters.

The department said the performance of CEOs and District Education Officers would also be assessed on the basis of their timely disposal of promotion cases.

The notification described the matter as a “top priority” and referred to an earlier directive issued on February 11, 2026.

The latest instructions require all four scheduled DPC meetings to be ensured by October 2026. The department has directed the relevant officials to complete pending promotion matters without unnecessary delays.

The move is expected to improve the promotion mechanism within Punjab’s school education system and provide greater clarity on the processing of teachers’ promotion cases.

Teachers across the province have frequently raised concerns over delays in promotions and seniority-related matters. Regular DPC meetings could help reduce the backlog and ensure that eligible employees are considered for promotion according to the applicable rules and seniority framework.

The notification was issued by Muhammad Akbar, Section Officer (Academics-II), School Education Department. Copies of the directive were also forwarded to senior officials of the department, including the Secretary, Special Secretary (Operations) and Additional Secretary (Administration).