.. by Prof. R.K Baig

In 1973 some amendments and changes were made in the service rules for government servants which were later overhauled in 1977 by late ZA Bhutto to get the sympathies of the governments when? PNA ? Pakistan National Alliance- had taken to the streets against? him after a widespread distribution of dollars to the PNA treasury by our old friend whom Liaqat Ali Khan had unwisely invited to drive us according to her emergency needs. The $ flow was to demolish Bhutto regime and Maulana Mufti Mehmood was one of the leaders of that shortsighted movement.

The government Service rules were then not as they are now in practice. Each deptt. Had its own grades and scales and all were jealous of each other. So Bhutto brought about a uniformity conflating all the pay scales into 22 BPS. This was a novel initiative. Rules for recruitment were also framed with chances of promotion and punishments. This was later prostituted by the black faced dictator who pushed the country into a ditch of immesurable depth at the behest of Uncle Sam. He was a US agent but could not be detected at that time even by a politician like Bhutto.

The rules made the governments bound to carry out a routine work of a certain scale but with the passage of time they were inoperative. The item of punishment on bad performance could not be implemented as the dictator needed their support so corruption began to take roots and the Lo!? It became a gigantic tree and then into a Mafia of CSS and PMS officers who refuse to carry out the policies of the political parties and have brought the routine business to a stand still. No official is forwarding a file from his table to the next one for months and the promises of the ruling party remain unfulfilled and their voters get disgusted on such poor governance. The government servants must be treated as public servants and be trained? under that policy. They are not our rulers but our servants as they get salary from our taxes.

Then what is required for a change?

1. All the govt. servants be given an oath on recruitment to work honestly
2. Show their assets at the time of appointment.
3. Must be demoted on poor performance.
4. Given double promotion on extraordinary performance.
5. Removed from service if bribery is proved.
6. Perform duty 8 hours
7. Retirement age be reduced to 55 years.
8. Retirement age of all the judges of the courts also be reduced unlike at present which now is 65 years
9. Age limit for recruitment of teachers be advanced to 40 years.
10. Voluntary retirement be allowed after 20 years.
11. Transfers be made after two years compulsorily.
12. All recruitments be made on contract basis.
13. Teachers be given option to teach as long as their health permits.
14. The corrupt system of NTS be nullified and those already recruited be reexamined with different pattern of question papers. MCQs should not be a major part of the question papers.
15. Only high educated MPAs / MNAs be selected as Education Ministers , not only matriculates.
16. Teacher-student ratio in class rooms be rationalized and fixed at one teacher for 20 students.
17. Primary school teachers must be females to motivate females towards education.
18. All teachers be given a special status in all walks of life.
19. 12 month teaching training be imparted to all teachers soon after their selection.
20. Only 1^st divisioner candidates be selected as teachers. etc.etc.

There are scores of other options to be introduced to improve primary and secondary education but the chief Executive must have a good knowledge of education; willing to allocate much more funds for education.? .. Prof. Rahmat Karim Baig, Chitral 16 Feb 2020