SWABI: Teachers of various cadres appointed in government schools through the National Testing Service (NTS) on ad hoc basis during the last three years are expected to be regularised very soon and the education department has been asked to start work in this regard, sources said.

They said that the total number of such teachers in the province was about 25,000 and the regularisation of services would be a great boost to the newly-appointed teachers who were well-qualified and ready to deliver according to expectations of the government.

When contacted on Wednesday, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly Assembly Asad Qaiser said that the government had planned to regularise the services of all NTS-qualified teachers, giving them an opportunity to focus on imparting education to the young generation with completedetermination.

`Proper legislation would be made for the regularisation of teachers and the task has been given to the provincial education department to work on it,` he said and added that the decision had been taken to regularise the teachers appointed on ad hoc basis.

It was one of the main demands of All Teachers Coordination Council and the issue was raised in various meetings with the ministers and other officials concerned.

The provincial government had introduced `school-based appointments` in 2014 under which a teacher appointed in a government school would not be transferred till his retirement.

Mr Qaiser claimed that selection of the teachers was made on merit. He said that this was the great contribution of PTI to education, which was a neglected sector in past.

He said that those having doubts should check the curriculum reforms, co-curricular activities, teachers` contribution, improvement in knowledge conveying environment, promotion process of teachers, ending political meddling in education affairs, provision of playgrounds and furniture,establishment of the computerlaboratories and increasing number of scienceteachers.

Answering a question, he said that more result-oriented reforms would be introduced in the education sectors. He said that through education they could enable the society to stand on its own feet while achieving the dream of economic prosperity.

POWER SUSPENSION: Consumers of various localities said here on Wednesday that despite lapse of over 40 hours they were still without electricity and they didn`t know when the supply would be resumed.

Thunderstorm lashed the district on Tuesday morning and uprooted trees and electricity poles, leading to prolonged stoppage of power supply.

However, the power supply had still not been restored.

The local people said that when they asl(ed the Pesco officials when the supply would be resumed they said that they were busy in the work to restore the supply. People of Maini union council said that they were still without electricity and the area was also facing water shortage.

Similarly, people of Kotha and Kalabat union councils were also hit by prolonged suspension of power supply. They have demanded immediate restoration of power supply.