Punjab turns to retired army personnel to monitor schools

Under the proposed arrangement, 28 MEA positions will be created in the first phase, with 21 reserved for retired Junior Commissioned Officers

LAHORE: The Punjab government has approved a plan to bring retired military personnel into the province’s public-school monitoring system while simultaneously moving to extend the contracts of around 150,000 School Teaching Interns (STIs), in a twin move aimed at strengthening oversight and preventing staffing shortages.

Documents and official notifications reviewed by The Minute Mirror indicate that the proposed monitoring programme will initially cover 22 districts. The Punjab Education Foundation (PEF), in coordination with the School Education Department, will oversee the recruitment and deployment of Monitoring and Evaluation Assistants (MEAs).

Under the proposed arrangement, 28 MEA positions will be created in the first phase, with 21 reserved for retired Junior Commissioned Officers and non-commissioned officers and seven available to civilian candidates. The appointments will initially be made for one year, with the possibility of extension subject to performance.

Selected MEAs will receive a monthly lump-sum payment of Rs60,000, along with applicable TA/DA and other benefits under School Education Department policy. They will also be provided government motorcycles to facilitate field visits.

Candidates are expected to be between 30 and 55 years of age, hold at least a graduation degree, possess a Punjab domicile and meet the prescribed physical fitness requirements. Experience in information technology and computer-related work will be considered an additional advantage.

The first phase is expected to cover districts including Lahore, Rawalpindi, Faisalabad, Multan and Bahawalpur. The monitoring officers will be responsible for visiting schools, checking teacher attendance, assessing infrastructure, reviewing student enrolment information and submitting regular reports through the PEF’s central monitoring system.

The initiative comes against the backdrop of concerns over monitoring gaps, particularly in rural and peri-urban schools. Officials familiar with the proposal said the purpose of involving retired military personnel was to strengthen field-level accountability and reporting rather than assign them teaching or disciplinary responsibilities.

Meanwhile, the Punjab government is also considering a nine-month extension for approximately 150,000 School Teaching Interns currently working in public-sector schools. The proposal would extend their contracts until March 31, 2027, allowing the government additional time to address teacher shortages and complete the recruitment of regular teaching staff.

The summary seeking approval for the extension has been submitted to Chief Minister Punjab. Officials say retaining the interns would help prevent further pressure on schools already facing vacancies following a large number of teacher retirements.

The proposed extension would also align the temporary teaching arrangements with the academic calendar and provide the government time to proceed with regular recruitment through the relevant channels.

The financial implications of both initiatives are expected to be significant. The first-phase MEA programme is estimated to require around Rs20.16 million annually in salaries alone, excluding expenses related to motorcycles, fuel and field operations. The nine-month extension of the teaching interns, meanwhile, could cost more than Rs45 billion based on an estimated average monthly payment of Rs35,000 per intern.

The government views the measures as temporary interventions designed to maintain continuity in public education while longer-term recruitment and monitoring reforms are pursued.

The proposal to involve retired military personnel has also generated debate, with some concerns being raised about the role of ex-servicemen in civilian education administration. Officials, however, maintain that the proposed MEAs would be limited to monitoring and reporting functions and would operate under clearly defined procedures.

According to the proposed implementation schedule, applications for MEA positions are expected to be invited in early September, followed by interviews and training later in the month. Field monitoring could begin from October if the recruitment process proceeds as planned.

The government is also expected to make a decision on the teaching interns’ contract extension shortly. Officials say the performance of both initiatives will be reviewed after their initial implementation, with the monitoring model potentially expanded to additional districts depending on the results.

The twin measures reflect the Punjab government’s attempt to address two persistent challenges in the public education system: ensuring stronger oversight of schools and maintaining adequate teaching staff during the transition towards permanent recruitment.