PESHAWAR: The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) government has announced major reforms in the education sector, ending the hiring of ad hoc lecturers and deciding to recruit teachers through the Public Service Commission (PSC) from now onwards.
The Standing Committee on Higher Education, Archives, and Libraries of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly convened a meeting on Monday at the Provincial Assembly Secretariat in Peshawar. The meeting was chaired by Anwar Khan, the Chairman of the Committee and a Member of the Provincial Assembly. Attendees included committee members and provincial assembly members Abdul Muneem, Ahmed Kundi, Iftikhar Ali Mashwani, Makhdoomzada Muhammad Aftab, and Ms Rehana Ismail, along with Nisar Baz Muhammad Arif. The meeting also welcomed the Special Secretary of Higher Education, along with staff from the Law Department, Finance Department, and officers from the Provincial Assembly of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
During the meeting, several important issues were discussed. The committee conducted a detailed review of the progress made by the Higher Education Department regarding the directives issued in the meeting held on April 23, 2025. The Special Secretary of Higher Education informed the committee that, following the merger of the erstwhile FATA with Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in 2014 and in compliance with the Supreme Court’s orders, 112 male and 96 female lecturers would be regularised from May 26, 2014, pending the passage of a bill by the Assembly. The committee instructed the department to fill future teaching positions through the Public Service Commission rather than on an ad hoc basis.
The meeting also addressed the matter of 1,400 kanals of land located in Mamukhotki, purchased by the provincial government for the Higher Education Commission in 2008. This land has been leased annually for cultivation for a one-year term. The standing committee unanimously decided that if the lease period has expired, the government should reclaim the land immediately. A comprehensive report on this matter should be submitted to the chairman of the committee by January 10, 2026. The committee further directed that the land be used for its original purpose.
Additionally, the standing committee instructed the Higher Education Department to initiate BS classes for both male and female students in colleges and universities located in remote areas of the province, including Bajaur, Upper Chitral, Upper Dir, Takht Bhai, Karak, and other districts. The committee also directed that proper transportation arrangements be made for these educational institutions, ensuring that students from these areas have access to quality educational facilities comparable to those in more developed districts.
