THE teaching licence programme that was initiated by the Sindh government was supposed to be a welcome step, but the lack of seriousness towards its implementation in schools has raised some relevant questions.

In January, a rigorous test was held. Of the thousands of candidates who appeared, only 646 in-service and pre-service teachers cleared the test. Despite the results having been announced, the Sindh Teacher Education Development Authority (STEDA), which is mandated to issue the licence, has failed to complete the process even after six months.

Once the process is formalised, junior elementary school teachers (JESTs) in BPS-14 will get promoted to BPS-16, and, as per the official word, will also receivea licence allowance ranging from Rs6,000 to Rs9,000. Unfortunately, STEDA officials, either owing to incompetence or slackness, have remained unmoved.

Despite meeting the required criterion and delivering exceptional performance in the teaching licence test, the teachers continue to be deprived of their due benefits. The delay in this process has caused anxiety, frustration, inconvenience, and confusion among the teachers. The government should look into the matter.

Yousiffameel Laghari Khairpur Mirs