Sindh High Court lifts ban on teacher recruitment, allows provincial government to proceed

The case was heard in response to a petition challenging the teacher recruitment policy in Sindh. Previously, the SHC had imposed a stay order, halting the recruitment process. However, the provincial government argued that the suspension of teacher appointments had severely impacted the educational sector, leaving schools understaffed and hindering the overall quality of education in the province.

In its plea, the Sindh government highlighted the urgency of filling vacant teaching positions, citing the critical need to improve the education system. The provincial authorities requested that the court lift the ban to allow the recruitment process to proceed to improve the educational system.

The petitioner, who had initially challenged the recruitment process, raised concerns over the policy applied to recruitment in “hard areas.” The petitioner argued that people from these areas were given lower marks (33) for teacher appointments, which the petitioner claimed was unjust. They emphasised the need for a unified recruitment policy that would apply to all regions of Sindh, regardless of the classification of areas as “hard” or “soft.”

The Sindh High Court halted teacher recruitment in June of the previous year, questioning the government’s application of the “hard area policy.” The court’s then Chief Justice, Ahmed Ali Shaikh, had raised questions about the fairness of the recruitment process, particularly with regard to how areas were classified and the marks allocation system.

With the lifting of the restraining order, the provincial government can now move forward with the recruitment process to address the staffing shortages and improve the quality of education in Sindh’s schools.