Punjab to Hire Retired Military Personnel for School Monitoring
The Punjab government has approved the recruitment of former military personnel for monitoring roles within educational institutions, with hiring under way through the Punjab Education Foundation. The initiative will place Monitoring and Evaluation Officers in districts across the province as authorities seek to strengthen oversight of schools and education programmes.
According to details reported on Saturday, the officers will initially serve on one-year contracts and receive a monthly salary of Rs60,000 along with applicable benefits. Selected personnel will also be provided official motorcycles to conduct field visits, while extensions may be considered after the initial contract period under the relevant rules and performance requirements.
The positions are being offered through the Punjab Education Foundation's Monitoring and Evaluation structure. Former armed-forces personnel applying for the posts are required to have a Punjab domicile, a graduation-level qualification and the physical ability to undertake field assignments. The reported age range for eligible ex-servicemen is 30 to 55 years, while information-technology experience is among the skills relevant to the monitoring work. Applications are being accepted until September 7.
The move does not represent the creation of a new monitoring function within the foundation. PEF already maintains a dedicated Monitoring and Evaluation Department that gathers information on its programmes, assesses performance and supplies management with findings used for accountability and planning. The foundation says district-level monitoring officers have long formed part of that system, conducting checks connected with schools and programmes supported by PEF.
The latest recruitment is notable because a substantial share of the positions is intended for retired personnel from the armed forces alongside civilian candidates. Reports on the recruitment indicate that appointments will be made in phases across multiple Punjab districts. Public recruitment information also describes the positions as temporary and district-based, meaning successful candidates will primarily perform field monitoring rather than conventional office duties.
The development comes as the provincial education authorities also consider the continuation of a large temporary teaching workforce. Dunya News reported that contracts of around 150,000 School Teaching Interns are proposed to be extended for another nine months, covering the remainder of the current academic session through March 2027. A summary seeking approval from Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz has been forwarded, with a formal notification expected after approval.
For Punjab's education system, the monitoring appointments could increase the government's field-level capacity to verify programme implementation, school operations and compliance with administrative requirements. The effectiveness of the initiative will depend on how officers are trained, assigned and integrated with the existing PEF monitoring framework, as well as the standards used to evaluate schools and report findings.
The immediate next step is completion of the recruitment process after the September application deadline, followed by selection and deployment of successful candidates. Further official notifications are also expected to clarify appointments in subsequent phases and the proposed extension of School Teaching Intern contracts. Applicants and educational institutions will be watching PEF and the Punjab School Education Department for final recruitment and implementation instructions.