Strict merit needed for betterment of future generations, says AJK education minister

 

LONDON: Azad Kashmir’s Minister of Education Syed Iftikhar Gilani has said that a strict merit system is needed to ensure educated future generations.

The government of Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) has decided to recruit school teachers through an independent third party organisation, National Testing Service (NTS), in the education department, which employs around 50% of the total workforce in Azad Kashmir.

The measure is aimed at ensuring merit in recruitment and raising the standard of education in the territory.

In an interview with this correspondent here after attending an international education conference convened by the British government, Iftikhar Gilani said that the government headed by Prime Minister Raja Farooq Haider was facing unprecedented political pressure after introducing NTS and third-party evaluation but said “we are reforming the education system for future generations to empower and equip them with merit-based education, delivered by competent teachers and not political activists and hangers-ons”.

“Raja Farooq Haider’s leadership has made it possible that we don’t tolerate nepotism and corruption. The AJK prime minister is going out of his way to promote merit and transparency and it is reflected best in the education system,” said the education minister.

The former London University law graduate, who has been elected twice from Muzaffarabad to the Legislative assembly, said that for years jobs were distributed as bribe to get votes, and thousands of teachers were inducted in the education department in complete violation of the merit system. 

“Jobs were distributed to please the voters but that damaged our youth, our education system, we produced thousands of degree holders who have degrees but no substance and no knowledge," he said.

Gilani said that education department is the biggest employer in AJK and the government has no other department which can be used to accommodate thousands of people seeking jobs every year.

“Previous governments used education department to play politics by inducting teachers. Since we came into power around 18 months ago, we immediately stopped distributing jobs of teachers as trophies and have brought a strict and impartial merit system which means that only those eligible and competent enough can qualify to become teachers," he said.

The minister added that the era of bribery in education department is over and the government has introduced third-party induction system.

"We have ended adhoc-ism and making concrete efforts to modernise the whole system. In our view education is at the core of any society’s development and if the youth of a nation are not educated properly, that nation can never prosper and progress,” said the Education Minister, stressing that all appointments made in the last 18 months are 100 % on the basis of merit.

Gilani claimed that there is no other example in the history of AJK where appointments have been made totally on the basis of merit. Everyone inducted in this period has fulfilled the merit requirement. Merit has been enforced with full transparency, he said.

He said that no Public Service Commission (PSC) examinations were held since 2005 and all the appointment made were done through a random system. “Hundreds of appointments have been made through PSC while the previous appointments managed these jobs to please their supporters.”

Gilani revealed that 36,000 applicants applied for 1,000 jobs and 30,000 of the total applicants failed to pass their examinations and those who applied for these jobs held Masters, Bachelor and doctorate degrees.

Commenting on the need for a merit-based system, the minister said that unemployment can only be reduced by giving jobs to deserving people.

"We are not an industrial country and our tourism industry suffers because of continuing ceasefire violation by Indian army. We have made it compulsory that the minimum qualification to apply for a job is bachelors and anyone under that cannot apply for a job. We have zero tolerance for the political nepotism and favouritism," he emphasised.

Gilani said that that the AJK government was thankful to former prime minister Nawaz Sharif who increased budget for AJK and that means “budget for the education department has been increased by almost 100%. 

"We are delivering justice, good governance and fairness to all and not taking politics into consideration," the minister said.