Punjab Abolishes 30,000 Vacant Posts in School Education Department

The Punjab government has decided to eliminate thousands of long-unfilled positions across various departments before presenting the upcoming provincial budget. This includes nearly 30,000 posts in the School Education Department (SED).

According to officials, these positions had been vacant for years but were still included in budget records with allocated salaries, even though no actual payments were being made. The move is intended to cut unnecessary spending and ease financial pressure on the province.

As the largest civilian employer, the School Education Department saw the highest number of posts removed. Other affected departments include Agriculture (5,199 posts), the Directorate General Public Relations (over 300 posts), and the Information and Culture Department (around 200 posts), along with significant cuts in Health, Forestry, Irrigation, Housing, Special Education, and Prosecution.

However, the decision has faced criticism from teachers’ groups, unions, and political parties. They argue that instead of abolishing these positions, the government should have filled them to address staff shortages in public services.

Opponents also warn that this move may reduce future job opportunities and increase workload on existing employees. Reports suggest that the Finance Department is considering removing up to 100,000 more vacant posts by June 30 as part of wider financial reforms.