Malakand Commissioner Orders Action Against Ghost Employees in Health and Education

What happened

Malakand Division Commissioner Iqbal Hussain Bacha has announced a zero-tolerance policy regarding teacher absenteeism and “ghost” employees within the education and health departments [1]. This follows a meeting attended by deputy commissioners, district education officers, medical superintendents, district health officers, and heads of educational monitoring bodies [1].

Key administrative changes and monitoring mechanisms include:

• Monthly Health Reviews: District health officers and medical superintendents must hold health management committee meetings on the 20th of every month to review performance [2].
• District Steering Committees: Deputy commissioners will chair district health steering committee meetings to assess hospital performance and district education steering committee meetings to evaluate the education sector [2].
• Divisional Oversight: A divisional review meeting will be held via video conference on the 27th of each month under the commissioner’s supervision [2].
• Data Verification: Data presented to district committees will be cross-checked against reports from the Independent Monitoring Unit (IMU) [2].
• Reporting Structure: The Additional Deputy Commissioner (Finance and Planning) in Shangla has been named the divisional focal person to collect district reports for the commissioner’s office [2].

In Lower Dir, District Education Officer Mushtaq Ahmad issued a notification to all male and female principals, deputy district education officers, and assistant sub-divisional education officers (ASDEOs) to immediately cancel staff detailing and need-based transfers [1].

In Bajaur, Deputy Commissioner Adnan Farid Afridi directed department heads to take legal action against employees who are long-term absentees or non-existent [1]. Sources indicate that both departments in Bajaur have started compiling lists of these employees [1].

Who is affected

• Education and Health Staff: The crackdown targets “ghost” employees and absentee staff, most of whom are reportedly lower-grade employees and teachers [1].
• School Principals: Principals are now personally responsible for ensuring daily attendance and must submit certificates confirming no “ghost” employees work at their schools [1]. If a principal fails to act against an absent teacher, the relevant ASDEO must initiate departmental proceedings against that principal [1].
• Education Officials: ASDEOs have been directed to conduct regular field visits and monitor schools instead of staying in offices [1]. Deputy district education officers must submit daily attendance and monitoring reports to district education officers [1].
• Regional Districts: The orders apply across Malakand division, specifically mentioning actions in Lower Dir and Bajaur [1].

According to sources, a majority of the identified absentee or non-existent staff belong to influential families, though no official record currently shows the exact number of affected employees [1]. The commissioner noted that nearly 70% of the provincial government’s budget is spent on education and health [1].