Punjab Govt To Introduce License For Teachers: School Education Minister

LAHORE, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 24th Jul, 2020 ) :Punjab School Education Minister Dr. Murad Raas on Friday said the government had reached a decision to introduce license for teachers and an act would soon be tabled in the Punjab Assembly.

Starting general debate on education in the House, the minister said the government would fill all teachers' posts in the province within one month, adding that registration of private schools would be made online in future.

'Earlier, Punjab Assembly session started one hour 50 minutes behind its scheduled time of 9 a.m. with Panel of Chairman Mian Shafi Muhammad in the chair. The day's agenda pertained to questions relating to the Forestry and Fisheries department. Provincial Minister Forestry Sibtain Khan responded to the questions by the lawmakers.

Opposition Leader Hamza Shehbaz Sharif was present in the House after Production Orders by Speaker PA Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi. Hamza Shehbaz was in NAB custody in the assets beyond means case.

Responding to various questions, Sibtain Khan told the House the government gave great importance to forests and wildlife, adding that steps were being taken to turn the province into 'Green Punjab' and the government would achieve most of the targets of 'Green Punjab' projects in the next three to four years.

To a question regarding the Lahore Zoo, Sibtain Khan said the Lahore Zoo administration had introduced immaculate measures for the look after of zoo animals, adding that only 31 animals and birds died during the lockdown in the zoo and these animals had completed their average life-span. He said the Lahore Zoo was a self-sufficient body.

To another query, the Fisheries minister said the produce of fish in the province was less than the demand, adding that seven new fish farms were being built in Punjab.

To a question by the opposition MPA Raheela Khadim Hussain, Minister Sibtain Khan said he had himself resigned from the ministry after he was implicated in a case by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) and nobody had demanded his resignation.

He further said that he had not asked to be re-instated as minister after he was released on bail by the NAB.

Speaking on a point of order, Provincial Minister Law and Parliamentary Affairs Raja Basharat said the Forestry Minister Sibtain Khan was present in the House after his release from the NAB and he was also given a portfolio after his release on bail, adding that the Opposition Leader Hamza Shehbaz Sharif was not even granted bail by the NAB and the treasury still bore with him.

The opposition parties protested full throttle after their demands to speak on point of order were denied by the Panel of Chairman Mian Shafi Muhammad, being in chair, during the PA session. The opposition members staged a walk-out in protest. The opposition turned the House into pandemonium during the speech of the School Education Minister Dr. Murad Raas.

The School Education Minister said the opposition members should sit hush in the House after they failed to manage education facilities in the province despite the fact PML-N ruled Punjab to 10 years in the recent past.

He said the PML-N government was involved in corruption of billions of rupees, adding that they played havoc with the governance system in the province.

Dr. Murad Raas said the School Education department, under him, successfully managed online transfers of the school teachers, adding that 22,000 applications for transfer were received by the department while only 23 complaints were lodged. He said this was made possible through a simple application and not a penny was spent on it besides the available resources of the department.

On completion of day's agenda Panel of Chairman Mian Shafi Muhammad adjourned the session till July 27 (Monday) afternoon at 2 p.m.