Quran education suffers in Punjab due to lack of teachers
According to the education department, only 26 Quran teachers are currently serving in 48,504 educational institutions across the province, while nearly 40,000 positions remain vacant, the Express Tribune reported.
Quran education was made mandatory in all government schools in 2021, and this year, grade IX students had to take a compulsory Quran Translation paper for the first time. Moreover, students from classes one to eight have to take Nazra Quran exams every year. However, due to the lack of Quran teachers, Islamic Studies teachers have to conduct extra Quran classes in these schools.
The education department said that the last time Quran teachers were appointed in Punjab was in 1978, when 179 teachers were hired. Since then, no new appointments have been made, and the existing teachers have not been promoted or upgraded for the past 40 years. They are also facing financial difficulties and low salaries.
The Punjab Curriculum and Text Book Board has declared that teaching the Quran from classes one to five and Quran translation from classes six to 12 is compulsory in all government schools. Punjab has 32,360 primary schools, 7,218 elementary schools, 8,088 high schools, and 838 higher secondary schools.
The Punjab SES Teacher's Association Central Secretary-General M Shafiq Bhalwalia has demanded immediate action from the authorities, including the promotion of the current Quran teachers and the swift recruitment of new ones.
Source: Agencies
