Teachers in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa have received some welcome relief. The Elementary and Secondary Education Department KP has ordered all district education officers to ensure a fair distribution of exam duties among teachers. Under the new directions, the same teachers should not be given examination duty again and again, and staff should not be sent to other districts for exam work in violation of the rules. The department also made it clear that exam arrangements must not disturb regular classroom teaching.
KP Directive on Exam Duties: What It Says
The instructions were issued through a letter from the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, Peshawar, and reported on 16 October 2026. The letter was sent to all district education officers, including those in the merged districts. Its main points are:
- Fair rotation: Exam duties must be distributed fairly among teachers.
- No repeat assignments: The same teachers should not be assigned again and again.
- Check history first: Before finalising staff lists, officers must verify each teacher’s previous exam assignments.
- District-based nomination: Exam staff must be nominated from the relevant district, following the rules of the educational boards.
- No out-of-district duty against rules: Teachers should not be sent to, or released for, exam duties in other districts where this breaks the rules.
- Protect classrooms: Exam arrangements must not disrupt teaching or other essential school activities.
Why the Department Took This Step
The department said that repeated assignments and out-of-district deployments were causing administrative difficulties and disturbing teaching in schools. When a few teachers are picked for every exam season, their own classes suffer for weeks. Students lose lessons, syllabus completion falls behind and the remaining staff are overburdened with extra periods.
Out-of-district duties create additional problems, especially for female teachers and teachers in remote areas. Long travel, accommodation issues and safety concerns make such duties stressful, and schools are left short-staffed in the meantime.
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Who Received Copies of the Letter
| Recipient | Role |
|---|---|
| Secretary, E&SE Department | Oversight of implementation |
| Chairmen of educational boards | Board-level exam planning |
| Controllers of examinations | Nominating and managing exam staff |
| District education officers | Preparing duty lists in districts |
| Other relevant authorities | Coordination |
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How Teachers Have Reacted
Education experts and teachers welcomed the decision, calling it a step towards reducing the burden on staff who are repeatedly placed on duty. At the same time, they urged district officers to follow the process on the basis of merit, transparency and fairness, so that favouritism does not decide who gets or avoids duty.
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What Teachers Should Do
The new directions give teachers a clear basis to raise concerns. If you are assigned exam duty repeatedly, or sent to another district against the rules, you can:
- Keep a written record of your previous exam duty assignments, with dates and centres.
- Submit an application to your DEO referring to the department’s letter on fair distribution.
- Request your school head to confirm the impact on your classes.
- Follow your board’s rules and complete any duty you are lawfully assigned, while raising objections through proper channels.
For students and teachers in Peshawar, our earlier report on the BISE Peshawar free Chromebooks list is also worth a read.
Impact on Upcoming Exams
With board exams and supplementary exams held at different times of the year, the new policy should help spread the workload more evenly. If district offices maintain proper duty records, more teachers will share the responsibility, and fewer schools will lose the same staff every season. This can improve both exam management and classroom teaching.
Frequently Asked Questions
What has KP ordered about exam duties?
The E&SE Department has ordered fair distribution of exam duties and banned repeated assignment of the same teachers.
Can teachers be sent to other districts for exam duty?
Not where it violates the applicable rules. Exam staff should be nominated from the relevant district.
Who must implement the order?
All district education officers, including those in merged districts.
Why was the order issued?
Repeated and out-of-district duties were disrupting teaching and creating administrative difficulties.
Source: The Nation.
A note for school heads
School heads should share their staff’s past exam duty records with the district office when lists are prepared, so that the rotation is based on accurate information.
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