Teachers’ boycott of assessment test prompts action

LAHORE : After a low turnout of teachers for the Training Needs Assessment (TNA) again on Sunday, the School Education Department (SED) Punjab has announced disciplinary actions, including the stoppage of salaries for teachers who fail to complete the assessment.

In addition to disciplinary measures, SED Punjab has announced the deployment of police at TNA centres, claiming that teachers participating in the assessment were facing threats from “enemies of education.”

Under instructions from the Punjab School and Higher Education Minister Rana Sikandar Hayat, police will be deployed at designated centres to ensure the assessment proceeds smoothly.

On Saturday, only a small number of teachers attended the Training Needs Assessment at designated centres, and turnout again remained low on Sunday as well. According to SED Punjab officials, some miscreants were allegedly creating obstacles to prevent teachers from participating. These individuals reportedly tried to forcibly block teachers from entering assessment venues, escalating tensions around the TNA initiative.

The Training Needs Assessment, mandatory for all public school teachers in Punjab, launched on Oct. 26, faced strong resistance from teachers who raised concerns that its results could impact their job security. Teachers expressed fears that the assessment might influence their future employment status, prompting a widespread boycott across the province.

According to teachers, the SED Punjab’s confrontational approach has fueled strong opposition towards the Training Needs Assessment. Many believe that continuing with the TNA despite teachers’ reservations has increased their frustrations, leading to the widespread boycott on Saturday and Sunday.

However, SED Punjab and the minister have now clarified that the TNA is solely intended to identify teachers’ training needs as part of a broader strategy to enhance targeted training programmes. The officials insist that the assessment aims to pinpoint areas where teachers may benefit from additional support, helping to shape future professional development initiatives.

Meanwhile, in a press release Punjab Teachers Union (PTU) leaders including Bashir Warriach, Rana Anwaar ul Haq, Rana Liaqat, Kashif Shahzad and others observed that the TNA boycott by thousands of teachers across Punjab on the second day showcased their unity and added that threatening teachers or issuing show cause notices won't end the boycott.

They said that educational reforms should involve teachers’ input, not coercion. The PTU leaders demanded the Punjab government restore leave encashment, ensure the unconditional regularisation of AEOs, end the outsourcing of educational institutions, cancel the TNA test, and conduct teacher training with teachers' consultation. They warned that if these issues are not addressed, the boycott of education, dengue duties, and the TNA test, along with district-level protests, will continue.

Talking to The News, Khalid Nazir Watto, Secretary Schools Punjab, said that all Deputy Commissioners (DCs) and District Police Officers (DPOs) have been requested to ensure security at the Training Needs Assessment centres. He emphasised that disciplinary action would be taken against teachers who do not complete the assessment. Addressing concerns, Watto clarified that the TNA was only intended to evaluate teachers’ training needs, and was not linked to job security, and accused certain individuals of spreading misinformation by falsely linking it to employment risks. He noted that some of these individuals were intimidating teachers who wanted to participate in the assessment. Consequently, SED Punjab has enlisted support from the Punjab police to maintain order at the assessment centers, he added.

Secretary SED Punjab said online TNA facility would also be launched from Sunday night, encouraging maximum teacher participation in the assessment.