The Sindh Boards of Intermediate and Secondary Education (Amendment) Bill was finally introduced in the Sindh Assembly by the provincial administration on Monday, opening the door for the appointment of bureaucrats to serve as board chairs.

Following the introduction of the modified bill by Law and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Ziaul Hassan Lanjar, Deputy Speaker Anthony Naveed forwarded it to the appropriate standing committee for review.

One of the most contentious clauses in the modified bill allowed the provincial government to designate a senior civil servant to lead any educational board.

According to the bill's proposed amendment, the Chairman will be chosen by the Controlling Authority through a direct hiring process or by transfer from among the BPS-19/20 cadre officers on terms and conditions that it specifies.

It's interesting to note that the bill's "Statement of objects and reasons" made no mention of the necessity or justifications for the bureaucrats' selection to chair educational bodies.

However, it claimed that the province's educational boards lacked a formal platform for coordination between their respective chairmen and that this lack of coordination had led to notable differences in the standards for exams, evaluation processes, and other administrative tasks across Sindh's boards.

The statement of objects and reasons stated that it is necessary to amend the Sindh Boards of Intermediate and Secondary Education Ordinance, 1972, in order to close the coordination gap between the chairmen of all the province's educational boards and to enable the educational boards to carry out their duties in an efficient and transparent manner.

Within a week, the standing committee was expected to review the amendment bill and submit its recommendations.

The measure aimed to modify the process for selecting heads, examination directors, and secretaries of the province's education boards in addition to the nomination of board chairman.

The chief minister or his designated minister will be in charge of the education boards under the modified law. The officer may be removed from duty at any time by the education board's authority.

The chief minister will have the authority to appoint people to the school boards directly or through transfers under the new bill.

The chief minister will also have the power to choose who will serve on the steering committee and education boards.

A steering group that includes an officer from the provincial services and general administration department will oversee the administrative operations of the school boards.