Serious irregularities have come to light in the allotment of posting stations to newly promoted school lecturers in Punjab, nearly a month after the Education Department changed its posting criteria. The move, which was intended to make the process more transparent and efficient, has now sparked controversy and dissatisfaction among teachers.

According to official data, the Punjab Government had recently promoted around 1,200 teachers to the post of lecturers. However, anomalies have surfaced in close to 100 cases where two to three lecturers have reportedly been allotted the same station. This has led to confusion and discontent among the teaching staff, many of whom allege that the revised system is flawed.

Previously, the Education Department followed a traditional process in which teachers were called to the state headquarters, where stations were allotted subject-wise and in order of seniority. The new system, however, replaced that process. Under the latest method, promoted lecturers were called to the offices of the respective District Education Officers (DEOs) to choose their stations from a state-wide list available on the spot. Teachers were required to fill out two forms, including an online Google form, to indicate their preferences.

While officials claim that the new system ensures efficiency, teachers’ unions have strongly opposed it, citing a lack of transparency and disregard for seniority.

A senior department functionary said that “most of the issues have been resolved,” but union leaders have raised serious concerns. Vikram Dev, president of the Democratic Teachers’ Union, said, “Earlier, stations were allotted on the spot as per seniority and transparency. The new system has created confusion and led to seniority anomalies.”

Similarly, Mahendra Kaur and Sukhwinder Singh Chahal, president of the Government Teachers’ Union, criticized the Education Department for ignoring seniority-based norms. “The department is being forced to issue revised posting orders only after repeated complaints by affected teachers,” they said, demanding that the government restore the earlier, more transparent process.

Meanwhile, Education Department sources indicated that a review of the posting process could be considered to ensure fairness and to prevent such overlaps in the future.