1

DATA ANALYSIS

BASELINE ASSESSMENT OF EDUCATION AND REVENUE

DEPARTMENTS

2

AUGUST 2015

This report was made possible with support from the American people through the U.S.

Agency for International Development (USAID). The contents is the responsibility of (Centre

for Public Policy and Governance (CPPG), Forman Christian College) and do not necessarily

reflect the opinion of USAID or the U.S. Government.

3

ABBREVIATIONS

ADB: Asian Development Bank

ADLR: Assistant Director Land Record

AEO: Assistant Education Officer

ARC: Arazi Record Center

BOR: Board of Revenue

BPS: Basic Pay Scale

BS: Basic scale

CC: Course Coordinator

CM: Chief Minister

CNIC: Computerized National Identity Card

CPD: Continuous Professional Development program

CPPG: Centre for Public Policy & Governance

CRC: Complaint Redressal Cells

CVP-TDEA: Citizen Voice Program - Trust for Democratic Education and Accountability

DEO: District Education Officer

DHQ: Divisional Head Quarters

DLR: Director Land Records

DMO: District Monitoring Officer

DRC: District Recruitment Committee

DSD: Directorate of Staff Development

EDO: Executive District Officer

GTC: General Teaching Councils

ICS: Imperial Civil Service

Manager SD & PR : Social Development & Public Relations

MPDD: Management and Professional Development Department

NADRA: National Database and Registration Authority

NTS: National Testing Service

PCS: Provincial Civil Services

PEEDA Act: Punjab Employees Efficiency, Discipline and Accountability Act

PESRP: Punjab Education Sector Reform Program

PMIU: Program Monitoring and Implementation Unit

PMS: Provincial Management Services

PMU: Project Management Unit

PPSC: Provincial Public Service Commission

PRMP: Punjab Resource Management Program

LRMIS: Land Record Management Information System

PST: Primary School Teacher

S&GAD: Services & General Administration Department

SMBR: Senior Member Board of Revenue

SST: Secondary School Teacher

TA: Traveling Allowances

4

Table of Contents Acknowledgements .......................................................................................................................................... 5

EDUCATION DEPRTMENT.......................................................................................................................... 6

INTRODUCTION .......................................................................................................................................... 8

INTERVIEWS AND OBSERVATIONS ........................................................................................ 10

FINDINGS ................................................................................................................................................... 14

FINDINGS REVEALED FROM QUALITATIVE DATA .................................................... 18

RECOMMEDATION FOR THE EDUCATION DEPARTMENT .................................... 20

CONCLUSION.......................................................................................................................................... 22

REVENUE DEPARTMENT .................................................................................................................... 22

INTRODUCTION .................................................................................................................................... 22

FINDINGS ................................................................................................................................................... 26

RECOMMENDATIONS ...................................................................................................................... 34

REVENUE DEPARTMENT ..................................................................................................... 34

CONCLUSION.......................................................................................................................................... 36

List of Illustrations

Figure 1: Education Department Interviews ...................................................................................... 11

Figure 2: Total Number of Schools ............................................. Error! Bookmark not defined.

Figure 3: District and Grade wise Teaching Staff in Lahore ......................................................... 12

Figure 4: District and Grade wise Teaching Staff in Sheikhupura ............................................. 13

Figure 5: Non-Salary Budget of a Sample School .............................................................................. 16

Figure 6: Factors Hampering Service Delivery .................................................................................. 19

Figure 7: Division of Land .......................................................................................................................... 23

Figure 8: Hierarchy of Subordinate Cadre .......................................................................................... 25

Figure 9: Administrative Hierarchy ....................................................................................................... 23

Figure 10: Field Visits .................................................................................................................................. 24

Figure 11: Difference in the process of Issuance of Fard and Mutattion ................................ 30

Figure 12: Issues in Service Delivery..................................................................................................... 33

5

Acknowledgements

We gratefully acknowledge the United States Agency for International Development

(USAID) for funding the “Improving Governance: Reforming Provincial Civil

Services in Punjab” project under USAID Grant Number AID – 391- C -11- 00001.

We are particularly indebted to our consultants on the project, Mr. Tariq Mahmud,

Mr. Shoeb Syed, Mr. Sarfraz Ahmad and Mr. Khawaja Khalid Farooq for their vigor

and effort to liaison with officials from the respective departments under study as

well as their useful comments and suggestions on drafting of this report. We remain

indebted to our Core Working Group members for their continuous advice and

support throughout the duration of the project.

6

RATIONALE OF THE STUDY

The purpose of this study is to examine the recruitment procedures, structure and

functioning of provincial bureaucracy, posting/transfers, career prospects and how do

these impact performance of the street level bureaucrats in the delivery of services.

What can be done to improve the capacity and quality of these public officials? The

study will look at the following 4 departments, namely Education, Health, Police and

Revenue

The rationale for identifying and focusing on these four departments of Punjab is that

more than 80 % of the civil servants form the bulk of these four departments. These

are four distinct departments whereby civil servants in the subordinate cadres (Grades

5 to 16) are large in number. Secondly, given the deteriorating state-citizen

relationship, and given the fact that these civil servants are the first point of contact

for ordinary citizens, it is increasingly important to examine why adequate attention

has not been paid to improve and reform the subordinate cadres. The real test that lies

for the Punjab Government is to provide civil service reforms that are essential to

improve service delivery reshape the state-society relationship and sustain the

provincial roles and responsibilities following the 18th

Constitutional Amendment. In

that context it will be only appropriate for Punjab government to consider adopting a

bottom‟s up approach to reform the provincial civil services. It must be recognized

that civil service reforms cannot take place by reforming the senior civil service

cadres in a vacuum.

Key Research Questions

In light of this study the following key research questions have been developed:

1. Is recruitment of the subordinate cadre BPS 5- 16 the function of the

department?

2. Are there any department specific benchmarks for recruitment, assessment and

training of lower cadre?

3. To what degree does the Punjab Public Service Commission (PPSC) hold a

key in recruitment of the lower cadre?

4. Does the Department handle the posting/transfers of the lower cadre and are

they based on merit/political patronage/territorial based/district based?

5. Is there a structure for promotion or career progression?

From view of citizens the questions are as follows:

1. How does the department treat them in terms of service delivery?

2. How long does it take for the department to complete its task and deliver a

service to you?

7

3. What are the complaints of citizen against the department?

4. Does the citizen believe the department is well equipped and trained to

provide them the service they need?

Methodology

This study is analytical, descriptive and qualitative in nature. To assess governance

and performance of the Civil services in Punjab literature review has been carried out

alongside empirical and evidence based data collection. The following are the data

collection tools employed for research purposes:

Perception Surveys

CPPG has collected perception of ordinary citizens through 20 interviews (minimum)

based on their interaction with the bureaucracy and service providing government

departments. The interview will involve questions on how they are treated by the

department, how long does it take to complete their task and what are their complaints

regarding the department?

Participant Observation

Participant observations for 5 days have been conducted in each department to assess

the workings of the department as an observer while asking various questions to

clarify ones understanding and to make an assessment of public service delivery from

a practical perspective.

Policy Dialogues

Data collection will be phased and two sub-teams will be made, such that initially

Team A will collect data from Revenue department and Team B from Education

department, followed by preliminary analysis and a policy dialogue to share the

findings with stakeholders. Two policy dialogues have been held in this regard.

Interviews

The teams will observe departments to understand organizational culture, service

structure and interview provincial bureaucracy (separated according to Grades 11-13,

Grades 14-15 and Grades 16-17 for total of 40 interviews), interview 12 union

representatives (Teachers Union, Young Doctors Association, Association, All

Pakistan Clerks Association, and Punjab Provincial Management Association) , 14

members of civil society, members of bar association and prosecution department, 14

high ranking provincial & federal officers and retired officers. Moreover, interviews

in the form structured survey/informal interview /questionnaire shall be held separate

for grades 5-15 (as described in the project narrative Grade 11-13, 14-15 and 15-16).

Union representatives such as YDA or teachers union, All Pakistan clerks association,

civil society members, members of bar association, provincial and federal ranking

8

officials shall comprise of such interviews. Further interviews shall be conducted to

assess the stages of recruitment, training, and assessment along with workings of civil

service. Training institutes such as MPDD and Punjab Local Government Academy in

Lala Musa for district cadres (Grade 11-17) will be assessed. The research will assess

the stages of recruitment, training and working of the civil services using the four

departments as case studies. For recruitment, working of the Punjab Public Services

Commission (PPSC) shall be evaluated by judging if the recruitment process, skills

and capabilities of the cadre are suitable for their job description and to what degree

the PPSC holds the key in their selection? In addition, specific training institutes

including the Police Academy would also be assessed.

Data Assessment- Introduction

EDUCATION DEPRTMENT

Over the period of years, there has been an immense focus on increasing the number of

schools and enrolled students in Pakistan. But these efforts have not been able to show

any substantive results. Even Punjab, the most literate province, shows a dismal figure of

merely 54.2% of literacy rate. 1

Moreover, there have been some political initiatives taken by the government in order to

uphold the popularity graphs of the political leaders. Primarily it is the low enrolment

rates at the primary level, wide disparities between regions and gender, lack of trained

teachers, deficiency of proper teaching materials and poor physical infrastructure of

schools that majorly is responsible for the poor performance and ineffective service

delivery of this sector.

The table below shows the total number of primary, middle and high schools in Punjab.

The number of schools is further sub-divided into Male ad Female schools.2

School Level No. Of Schools in Punjab

Male Female Total

High 3355 2770 6125

Middle 3556 4774 8330

Primary 17586 19036 36622

Total 24497 26580 51077

Source: School Education Department, Government of Punjab

1 Punjab Development Statistics 2014, Bureau of Statistics, Punjab, p. 149. 2 *The table excludes high secondary and mosque schools from the total number of schools in Punjab.

This is mainly due to the fact that the study is lower cadre focused and these schools do not represent

Grade 9-16.

9

For this study we have selected 4 districts in Punjab. The total number of public schools

namely in Lahore, Sheikupura, Kasur and Faisalabad are as follows

Source: School Education Department, Government of Punjab

The educationists are of the view that in order to enhance the quality of education, there

must be standardization and uniformity of education. The key pillars of education system

are teachers. The public schools teachers in the lower cadre fall primarily between BPS 9

till BPS 16. Our data assessment shows that the bulk of the strength of teachers exists in

the primary and secondary education, which is Grade 9 and 14 and 16 respectively.

Teachers are the backbone of any education system and are central for the enhancement

in children‟s critical thinking and cognitive skill building. The government is yet unable

to train teachers according to the needs of the system. Currently in Punjab, teacher

training is given through Directorate of Staff Development (DSD). This institution has a

chain of Government Colleges for Elementary Teacher, which is 30 in number.3 These

colleges offer courses of B.Ed. and M.Ed. Moreover Directorate for Staff Development

(DSD) also organizes various short training workshops and refresher courses of 1 to 4 but

a large number of teachers are still unable to adapt to modern modes of educations. Most

of them lack basic computer skills. Earnest efforts are required to equip teachers with

modern teaching skills, because unless the educator is educated, the country will remain

uneducated.

DSD is the premier training institution for the training of the lower cadre 9- 16 Grade

teachers. While the DSD trainings may enhance the existing skills and inspire confidence

in the teachers yet it is unable to brighten prospects of promotion/career in teaching. This

is mainly due to lack of coherency in the promotion structure, which exists. Haphazard

and mixture of promotion policies has led to stagnation in promotion and frustration

amongst the teachers.

In addition to providing training to teacher, there is also a need to provide them

incentives. Career prospects are faint for teaching cadre. Mostly, they are recruited on

3 http://www.dsd.edu.pk/pages/contents/8. Accessed on 20-05-2015

Total Number of Schools

District No. Of Schools

Lahore 1239

Sheikhupura 1427

Kasur 1502

Faisalabad 2326

10

contractual basis, and the contracts are merely extended on expiry. The lack of service

structure dissuades competent people from joining education field.

The case of Pakistan highlights many points that need to be catered to when we consider

enhancement of efficiency, effectiveness and productivity of bureaucracy. In country

such as Pakistan new projects on any level leave no room for improvement in existing

structures and it mechanisms. The Government has to realign its agenda for policy

implementation and service delivery and abandon the idea of having uniformed

approaches for every sector for example police, health, education and revenue. These

public departments require varied approaches due to its various beneficiaries.

INTERVIEWS AND PARTICPANT OBSERVATIONS

During the interviews and discussions with officials associated with the Education

Department, the purpose of the research study was established. The questions were

based around induction, job descriptions, trainings, career planning and promotions of

the subordinate staff in the Education department and the issues pertaining to

effective service delivery in the subordinate cadre in the Education department (BPS

9-16). The grades and positions of the teachers chosen for the research study are as

follows:

GRADE POSITION

BPS 9 Primary School teacher

BPS 14 Elementary School Teacher

BPS 15 Senior Elementary School Teacher

BPS 16 Secondary School teacher

Figure 1 below shows the details of the field visits conducted for the ongoing

research in the Education Department. The majority of the interviews included the

visits to 2 districts in Punjab namely Lahore and Sheikhupura. Majority of the

interviews conducted were with the DEO‟s, EDO‟s, AEO‟s and school teachers

(25%), followed by interviews of the officials in the S & GD Department Lahore,

which included Section officers (BSP 15 and16) and Superintendents (BSP 16). The

sample size for these interviews included 25 respondents. The rest of the interviews

were conducted at Punjab Education Sector Reform Project (PESRP) and teacher

training institutes such as MPDD and DSD (11% each).

11

Figure 1; Education Department Interviews

Challenges in Recruitment

1. The recruitment of Primary School Teachers, Secondary School Teachers and

Elementary Schools Teachers fall under the domain of the District Recruitment

Committee (DRC).

2. Under the Teacher Recruitment Policy 20144 District Governments are primarily

responsible for the whole recruitment process. District Recruitment Committees

(DRCs) and Complaint Redressal Cells (CRCs) at divisional level have also been

constituted in order to assure the transparency of the recruitment process.

3. Test has been introduced for the first time in Punjab. Candidates securing 50%

marks in the entry test will qualify and be called for interview by the District

Recruitment Committee. The entry test is recognized and organized by National

Testing Service (NTS). Pre-interview lists are prominently displayed in the offices of

the District Monitoring Officer (DMO) and Executive District Officer (EDO)

Education. The post-interview merit lists are then displayed in the offices of DMO

and EDO Education.

4.The test for recruitment of lower cadre is entirely subject oriented rather than taking

into account the personality and/or teaching traits of the teachers. The emphasis on

interview is minimal.

The table 1 below shows the total strength of teaching staff from cadre 9 to 16 in

Punjab. It can be analyzed that the bulk of the teachers fall under BPS 9, 14 and 16.

Many teachers who are newly recruited into BPS 9 remain stagnated in same grade

for decades due to lack of proper promotion structure, political favoritism and lack of

streamlined policies for each province.

4 http://schoolportal.punjab.gov.pk/pdf/Recruitment%20Policy-2014.pdf

21%

11%

11%

25%

11%

18%

3%

Education Department Interviews

S&GAD DSD PESRP Sheikhupura School Visit MPDD APCA LUMS

12

Strength of Teaching Staff in Punjab

Pay Scale Strength

PST (BPS-09) 105,022

BPS-10 1,588

BPS-11 287

BPS-12 47,842

EST (BPS-14) 84,648

BPS-15 23,678

SST (BPS-16) 38,203

Figure 2:

The bar chart represents the grade wise teaching staff in Lahore existing between

cadres 7 till 20. The cadre strength in BSP 9 represents the highest number of PST‟s

recruited in 2014-2015. The second highest fall in BSP 14 which represents primarily

Senior School Elementary Educator. The higher the numbers of post against a certain

BSP scale represent the higher demand for primary and secondary school teacher.

Figure 2: District and Grade wise Teaching Staff in Lahore

2 28

4877

140 23 1693

3693

1170

2585

927 420 143 9

0 7 9 10 11 12 14 15 16 17 18 19 20

No

. of

Po

sts

Pay Scale

District and Grade wise Teaching Staff in Lahore

13

Source: PMIU/PESRP GASC 2014-2015

Figure 3:

This table shows the grade wise teaching staff in Sheikhupura existing between cadres

of 7 till 20. The cadre strength in BPS 9 represents the highest number of Primary

School Teacher‟s recruited in 2014-2015. The second highest fall in BSP 14, which

represents primarily Senior School Elementary Teacher.

The scale of a public school teacher starts from BPS 9, which is of a primary school

teacher. They will get promoted if they increase their qualifications. However within

the system the service structure does not provide them any opportunities of promotion

for the years of service. Some PST‟s are stagnated in the same grade for the last two

decades. Those teachers who fall in BPS 14 are either directly recruited or have been

upgraded after decades of service. The complacency from both the teachers and the

Government is a stark reminder of haphazard polices and promotions made on whim

rather than being based on performance, qualifications or even seniority.

Figure 3: District and Grade wise Teaching Staff in Sheikhupura

Source: PMIU/PESRP GASC 2014-2015

Challenges in Training

The Directorate for Staff Development (DSD) provides training to the cadre of 9 till

16. Visits to DSD showed the types of courses given to PSTS‟s and SST‟s .The

teachers are given two kinds of training a) induction training b) promotion linked

trainings that are also called refresher courses.

The criteria for selection of cadres for training is not democratic and instead are hand

picked at will (sometimes with political involvement). Furthermore the current system

0 13

2464

52 15

1118

1979

557 805

285 153 45 4

0 7 9 10 11 12 14 15 16 17 18 19 20

No

. of

Po

sts

Pay Scale

District and Grade wise Teaching Staff in Sheikhupura

14

of training had a poor system of assessment and evaluation whereby pass/fail criteria

is set for training5.

Challenges in Promotion

For a successful promotion linked training merely a completion of training matters

and not the score attained in the training itself. The training even when linked with

promotion is not performance based. There is no active participation and therefore

those taking the training for promotion have no stake in it and do not own it. This is

deemed to be ineffective and hence does not cater to what is actually required in the

field from the teachers. This poses a challenge for both the trainer and the trainee.

Furthermore there is no proper structure on the time scale of promotion. Many of the

trainings provided are also not geared towards providing career progression

opportunities. The system needs to links performance and increased qualification with

career progression. There have even been those cases where a teacher has had an MA

or Mphil yet is working at a lower grade and position. The position needs to be

commensurate with person‟s qualifications.

Findings

Inadequate training

1.The trainees are not assessed on their performance per se in trainings. The system of

performance appraisal and evaluation along with future follow up on trainings needs

to be integrated as a part of trainings of teachers. The quality of trainings includes

subject trainings as well as motivation, leadership skills and communication training

as part of the training curriculum. The aim of such trainings at DSD is to bring about

an attitudinal change from within the teachers so as to make them more responsive

and accountable.

Various visits to DSD and MPDD showed that the prototype of teacher that enters the

market is not well trained, as the syllabus offered in universities is not aligned with

the demands of school education. Many of the governmental resources are wasted on

teacher training rather than enhancement of their soft skills and will to work.6

Disconnect between pre-service and in-service training

2. Essentially for becoming a teacher the pre-service training required is Bachelors in

education (B.Ed.). Once recruited DSD carried out the In-service training. Various

officials at DSD were of the view that those teachers who already have a Masters in

5 Interview with Farooq Alvi, Director Academics, MPDD dated 23 June 2015 6 Interview with Azmat Siddique, Course Coordinator (CC) CPD Implementation, Directorate for Staff

Development (DSD) dated 22 June 2015

15

Education ought not go through the process of in-service training, as an M.Ed. should

suffice and given credit.

The trainings offered by DSD lack in enhancing the level of motivation among

teachers. Moreover, the timings of trainings are not well coordinated mainly due to

administrative issues. The administration wants the selected teachers to join service

with the start of educational year, which leaves little time for post induction training.

Here it is essential to note whether the trainers who are imparting skills/training to

teachers at DSD or MPDD are skilled and motivated themselves. Visits to DSD and

MPDD show that the background of trainers themselves plays a huge role in

imparting skills to teachers so on and forth. The trainers of the teachers of school

education department must be role models for the trainees.

Furthermore the structure of trainings is such that they are designed uniformly for the

whole province without considering the needs of specific areas of a district which

crucial for bridging the gap between implementing policies, improving governance

and bringing a reform in education. This standardization hampers the provision of

quality trainings. Another, major issue is the facilities available at the training centers.

Lack of motivation

From the questionnaire administered in training institutes it was observed that

problem primarily does not solely lie in the training of teachers but their lack of will7.

3.The teachers do not consider the trainings as a way of self-progression or as an

enhancement in their careers. The approach toward trainings is further tainted when

many of those attending trainings are political appointees and are there to only to fill

up the space. Lack of motivation is the biggest impediment in public sector education.

Despite the fact that public schools teachers are well paid, well trained, and have job

security (especially when compared to the private schools teachers,) they still they

lack will to work. There is direct correlation between lack of motivation and lack of

career prospects. It was observed that increase in pay raise is not sufficient to

motivate. One of the interviews said, “ Public school teachers do not feel obligated to

come to school”. Motivation also stems from external factors such as working

environment and its surrounding infrastructure facilities. Many teachers interviewed

were dissatisfied with the classroom facilities and libraries, which demotivated and

hindered them in effective service delivery.

One of the interviews said, “ Public school teachers do not feel obligated to come to

school”

Budget constraints

4.Budgeting is another major struggle in improving the service delivery in the school

education and consequently in the harnessing the conduct and performance of

7 Interview with Asifa Mauji, District Monitoring officer (DMO), Sheikhupura District dated 20 June 2015

16

teachers (lower cadre). The non-salary budget of schools is limited to such an extent

that it is very difficult to manage schools. Figure 5 below shows the details of a

sample school selected in Sheikhupura district of Punjab. It shows the lack of basic

facilities such as electricity and the consequent payment of utility bills and overhead

cost of stationary as hurdles in effective functioning of a school. The chart shows that

not a penny has been allocated for free textbooks and charges for Rs 2 million. Travel

allowance, which forms 15% of the entire sample budget, is poorly provided to the

education officer, and teachers, which hamper the provision of education.

Subsequent interviews with the primary school teachers and head masters in Lahore

and Sheikupura highlighted the fact that there are some teachers especially female

that are unable to arrive on time for school due to lack of travel facilities or travel

allowance. Consequently, teachers to cover up the cost, end up performing extra-

duties than their assigned tasks e.g. polio vaccination campaigns, remaining absent

from schools, private tuitions etc.

Figure 4:

Figure 4: Non-Salary Budget of a Sample School

Source: District Education Officer Sheikhupura office- June 2015

Lack of career prospects

5. Lack of career prospects amongst the teaching cadre was one of the stark findings

that portrayed a sense of demotivation amongst them.

On interviewing teachers in two districts of Punjab and Sheikhupura, it was observed

that many of their lack of motivation further stemmed from lack of career

progression. Why would a teacher wish to train if there neither tangible nor intangible

gains? What incentive is there for a teacher to enhance his qualification to move up a

grade? Where the progression within the grade such as teachers is dismal, the persons

5000

50000 20000

125000

100000

0

250000

20000

5000

20000 50000

10000 20000

Non-Salary Budget of a Sample School

Postage and Telegraph

Telephone and Trunk Call

Gas

Electricity

Travelling Allowance

Transportation of Goods

17

will to work diminish. Despite the budget constraints it was observed that teachers

lack basic infrastructural facilities, good staff rooms and access to libraries. It was

observed that many who opt for teaching such as PST‟s and SST‟s stay in one grade

for many years. This is primarily due to dismal career prospects and then no future

motivation from within the system. Their sense of ownership is curtailed and limited

to just merely teaching. Many who taught the curriculum did not own it, as they have

not been considered to be part of the process of developing it. The sense of

complacency and unwillingness to change is deeply rooted within the system and

within the teaching cadres themselves.

It was observed that the tests conducted for the recruitment of primary schools

teachers are designed solely according to the university syllabus. While this

objectivity in questions may test a subject specific skill, such method of testing loses

out on judging the soft skills and teaching aptitude of the teacher. Furthermore the

DRC (District Recruitment Committee) awards 5 marks out of a total of 100 to

interview. The Interview, which ought to be huge part of recruitment process, is given

less weightage in order to reduce political intervention. In improving service delivery

the teachers‟ interview process is one of the key domain in recruiting the right type of

teacher. Interview process acts as a filter to maintain quality yet recruitment process is

marred due to lack of it. It is an important process of judging the personality of the

candidate, so mere 5 marks for interview makes it difficult for the candidates to make

a difference with their soft skills. Moreover, in practice, most of the DRCs award

equal marks to all candidates in interviews so that merit can be solely based on the

marks obtained in written examination.8 This extra-ordinary importance given solely

to written test is not just spreading the culture of memorizing but also affecting the

quality of people being inducted as teachers.

Teaching as a career

6. Teaching is a considered to be a noble profession yet this may not seem to be true

in the workings and operation of public school teachers. Despite being highly paid

in comparison to a private school, public school teacher once inducted at any grade

will deem to remain in the post due to the security a government service provides.

Powerful teachers‟ unions are part of the problem. They often see jobs as hereditary

sinecures, the state education budget as a revenue stream to be milked and any

attempt to monitor the quality of education as an intrusion. The unions can be

fearsome enemies, so governments leave them to run schools in the interests of

teachers rather than pupils.

Quality of teacher

7. Many observations specifically in the DSD and MPDD led us to distinguish

quality of teachers recruited. Much of the focus was on the quantity of teachers

8 Interview with Assistant Program Director M. Asif, PESRP dated June 16 2015

18

rather than focusing on the quality of them. The focus of the education sector is

relatively inclined towards recruiting quantity rather than quality. The recruitment

standards and training benchmarks ought to be set according to quality and skill of a

teacher. It is seen that students connect to the type of teachers more than the content,

which is being taught. Therefore quality of a teacher is essential for effective public

service delivery.

Infrastructure and Environment

8. Lack of proper infrastructure requirements such proper access to staff room for

teachers and libraries were some of the findings that revealed the issues teachers face

when performing in the schools. Dilapidated buildings and outdated tables, chairs and

classroom walls cause a great concern and effect the condition and motivation level of

the teacher teaching in a class.

Cultural conundrum

9. The nobility of imparting knowledge is considered to be highly regarded world

over. Literally a child‟s future is in the hands of teachers. Yet it is seen that slowly

steadily culturally there is an erosion of respect for teachers. This can be seen from

the salaries they are paid in elite public schools, access to facilities, working

conditions etc. The findings in our study led us to explore that what motivates

teachers is not just mere increase in salary but by something more substantive. Many

teachers interviewed within our study indicated the lack of respect that students have

nowadays for teachers. This can be seen as a limiting factor and linked culturally as to

how nowadays we view teachers and its position in our society. Generating and

giving respect to teachers will allow them to have control over their work and

resultantly enhance performance of students as well.

FINDINGS REVEALED FROM QUALITATIVE DATA

To supplement part of the study initially close typed questions and open-ended

questions were included in the questionnaire. Some of the essential factors that

hindered the effective public service delivery of a teacher are illustrated as follow

in Figure 5:

19

Figure 5: Factors Hampering Service Delivery

Following from the data collected in furtherance of the Baseline assessment,

respondents were asked to give their opinion regarding the factors that hampered in

the effective service delivery of the teacher. Motivation (16%) and delayed promotion

(18%) were the factors most emphasized by the respondents. Responding to this

question one District Monitoring Officer from Sheikupura stated:

“Teacher lack self-motivation despite the provision of adequate salary to them”

There is no proper structure of promotion for teachers. On promotion a primary

school teachers of BSP 9 who had been serving in the same scale for 18 years stated:

“There is no time scale or structure through which our promotion can take place. Up

gradation primarily only happens on the demand of the union”

Another respondent on promotion stated:

“ It took me 24 years to be promoted from BPS 16 to BPS 18. The time scale of

promotion is tough and tedious”

Many teachers and DEO‟s also complained of lack of non-salary budget (13%) as a

factor that hampers their day-to-day functioning. The overhead costs are such that

over power the job at hand of the teacher. As a result there are some teachers who

end up working privately after school hours. Majority of the respondents also showed

concerns regarding the dilapidated condition of the schools and buildings in which

they have to teach.

5%

18%

13%

16% 13%

13%

5%

13%

1%

1% 2%

Factors Hampering Service Delivery

Lack of Training

Delayed Promotions

Work Overload

Motivation

Lack of Non-Salary Budget

Lack of Working Facilities

20

Around 13% percent of the respondent teachers stated that due to increased workload

and extra duties assigned they were not able to focus on the job at hand. These duties

included organizing political functions, rallies, community dinners, vaccination

campaigns etc.

The initial findings from the data assessment indicate that lack of motivation; delays

in promotion, lack of career progression, poor working conditions and budgetary

constraints that restrict and choke the effectiveness of service delivery. All these

indicators point towards lack of prevalent effective measures to ensure efficient

service delivery.

RECOMMEDATION FOR THE EDUCATION DEPARTMENT

Although Punjab has the more advanced education system than other provinces, most

of its people remain poorly educated despite numerous education policies and

perpetual reforms. Majority of the interviews conducted showed one commonality

that was lack of self-motivation amongst teachers. Despite spending ample amount of

resources in their trainings teachers remains complacent to change.

Impart soft skills

It maybe recommended imparting leadership and soft skills amongst them during

training. Moreover, huge emphasis needs to be given on the leadership qualities,

personality traits of the teacher, when interviewing them during the recruitment

process. Various studies have highlighted the need for leadership skills amongst the

teacher for improvement in better service delivery.

Creation of linkages between pre-service and in-service training

Secondly, it was observed in teaching training institutes such as DSD that the training

imparted amongst teachers between Grade 6 till 16, needs to be in sync with the

ground realities demanded out of their job description. In England and Scotland there

is General Teaching Councils (GTC) that under the law acts as a connecting bridge

between what is needed and what is required from the teachers and their requisite

training. These GTC are concerned with pre-service and in-service or induction

training, initial teacher education and training, and continuing professional

development. Similarly in Punjab, the quality of training can be enhanced with the

assistance of teacher training council that can connect the pre-service training to what

is required from the teachers in the field. The content that is taught to the teachers

before joining the service such as Bachelors in education is not commensurate with

the on going service requirements.

Trainings need to be cluster specific rather than generic

Thirdly, regarding the state of trainings that are being provided currently there are no

benchmarks for trainings imparted. Teachers from the lower cadre are selected

21

randomly at whim by the district. The trainings do not cater to the job description of

that teacher. Furthermore the “one size fit all” approach is followed when trainings

are imparted in the district. There is a need to assess the requirement of each district

and training then needs to be cluster specific rather than standardizing training for the

entire province. Uniformity in trainings is a hurdle in service delivery. This has led to

stagnated growth in the research and development of the Education Department.

Focus ought to be on quality of trainings rather than the number of people trained.9

System of follow-up after trainings

Furthermore, it was observed in interviews and through various visits to trainings

institutes such as MPDD and DSD that there is no follow up on the trainings provide

to the teachers. There is a need to embed a follow up mechanism where the outcome

of training can be monitored and checked through expeditious means. The system of

checks and balances needs to be incorporated for minimizing the gap between the

need and want in trainings in order to ultimately improves governance and public

service delivery.

Incentivize structure and instill motivation

In order to curb the lack of motivation amongst teachers there is need to incentivize

the teachers not merely through pay raises but by allowing them to feel part of the

system and claim ownership. It was observed in many interviews that majority of

schools teachers did not feel the need to improve their pay scale and were complacent

to change their skills set and attitude. No signs of career progression are due to lack of

incentive and no incentive ultimately leads to poor public service delivery. Many who

opt become teacher remain in one post for many year due to job security and monthly

salary no matter how meager that may be.

On a policy level the governance structure needs to be incentivized in order for career

progression to take place within the teaching cadre. One way of achieving is to link

progression through promotion-based training, which will give them a constant sense

of association with their jobs. However one of the prime concerns in improving the

governance structure through incentives would be to find practical ways in which

teachers for example will feel motivated to work and delivery their best. One case is

“recruit quality to deliver quality” and the other case is to build within the system

“motivation triggers” that create better career prospects. Provision of better

infrastructure facilities, better access to libraries and giving them key decision-making

power such as in the development of the curriculum are ways to enhance their

motivation capacity and promote efficient public service delivery. For the teachers to

feel motivated, the governance structure needs to be such that allows them to “own”

and retain rather than alienate and dislocate.

9 Interview with Dr Rukhsana Zia Ex Director DSD dated 19 May 2015

22

CONCLUSION

Schooling quality, school location, and teacher presence affect parents‟ decision to

send their children to school. The issues on the supply side include appropriate and

high-quality curricula, the presence, quality, effectiveness of teachers, and efficient

school management. While reform in civil service in the education department cannot

be isolated reform yet the emphasis needs to be on the quality of teachers recruited

rather than the quantity to maintain and sustain an efficient and effective public

service working force. Motivation and career progression need to be inculcated within

the structure as effective service delivery measures.

REVENUE DEPARTMENT

Introduction:

There is a strong link between good governance and socio-economic development.

No matter how robust the policies drafted by the Government are, it is imperative that

the implementing institutions or Government Departments are well established and

working in an efficient and accountable manner.

During formal interviews with senior officers at the Board of Revenue Punjab (BOR),

the research team was given a detailed background of the Revenue department. The

land settlement program was initiated during the time of British rule in India.

Subsequently the Directorate of Land Records was established and it is working since

1884.10

The Board of Revenue is the successor of the office of „The Financial

Commissioner which was constituted under the provisions of the West Pakistan Board

of Revenue Act 1957. After the dissolution of One Unit in 1970, the Board of

Revenue Punjab was established. BOR is the controlling authority in all matters

pertaining to land administration, collection of land taxes, revenue, preparation of

land records and the custodian of the rights of the land holders. 11

According to the

Senior Member BOR Punjab, BOR has a large canvas and is a very powerful

organization with a large spread all over Punjab. BOR is also the highest revenue

court in the province.

10 Interview with Mr. Maqbool Ahmed, Director Land Records Board of Revenue Punjab, dated June 10 2015. 11 http://www.punjab-zameen.gov.pk/ Accessed on August 20, 2015.

23

Division of Land

Number of Districts 36

Number of Tehsils 143

Number of Qanoongoi

circles

839

Number of Patwar

Circles

8006

Number of Mauzaas 25914

Figure 7 : Division of Land (Source: Pbs.gov.pk)

Figure 7 gives the details of the number of districts, number of Tehsils, Qanoongoi

circles, number of Patwar circles and number of Mauzas in Punjab Province. There

are 36 districts in the Punjab Province. Within the Province there are 142 Tehsils, 83

Qanoongoi circles, 8006 Patwar circles and 25914 Mauzaas.

Figure 8: Hierarchy of Subordinate Cadre

Source: Board of Revenue, Punjab

The organogram above details the subordinate cadre in the Revenue Department (BPS

5-16). With the Tehsil Dar being the highest ranking official in the lower cadre (BPS

16) and the Patwari has the lowest grade (BPS 9).

Punjab Revenue Department is following the rules of business provided in the Land

Record Manual of 1967. District (Zilla) headed by District Coordination Officer.

Tehsil is headed by an Assistant Commissioner. One Tehsil Dar is designated for one

Tehsildar

BPS 16

Naeb Tehsildar

BPS 14

Gardawar

BPS 11

Patwari

BPS 9

24

Tehsil and a Tehsil Dar is assisted by Naib-Tehsildar who further manages the

Patwaris in the Patwar circles.12

Figure 9: Administrative Hierarchy

Source: Board of Revenue, Punjab

Figure 9 above shows the Administrative hierarchy of the Revenue Department. With

the Province being the highest administrative unit and the Mauza being the lowest

administrative unit in managing the land records.

During the interviews and discussions with officials associated with the Revenue

Department, the purpose of the research study was established which revolves around

induction, job descriptions, trainings and promotions of the subordinate staff in the

Revenue department and the issues pertaining to effective service delivery in the

subordinate cadre (BPS 5-16) which includes Patwaris (BPS-09),

Qanoongoh/Girdawar (BPS- 11), Naeb Tehsil Dar (BPS-14) and Tehsil Dar (BPS-

16). The main focus of the study is however on the position of a „Patwari.‟ Although

Patwaris are the lowest ranking officials in the Revenue Department (BPS-09) the

position itself is very lucrative in terms of authority and various roles and

responsibilities with extra nuisance value.

12 Interview with Mr. Anjum Zaka Butt, Tehsil Dar Ferozwala Sheikhupura District, dated June 26, 2015.

Province

Division

District

Tehsil

Sub Tehsil

Kanoongoi

Mauza

25

Figure 10: Field Visits

Figure 10 above shows the details of the field visits conducted for the ongoing

research in the Revenue Department. The majority (48%) of the interviews were

conducted in the field offices of the Revenue Department, which include interviews of

Tehsil Dars, Naib Tehsil Dars, Qanoongoh, Gardawar and Patwaris. It is followed by

interviews with senior officers of the Board of Revenue Punjab (26%). The rest of the

interviews were conducted at Punjab Resource Management Program (PRMP),

interviews of the common citizens (9% each) and the officials of the Land Record

Management Information System (LRMIS).

Patwari

Patwari is the custodian of land records and the first interface of revenue department

that deals with the public.13

Patwari is the lowest ranking official of the Revenue

Department who carries a bag typically holding 15 registers relating to various land

records. He works under the District Registrar. Revenue records are held by the

Patwaris. The Director Land Record looks after the land records and IG Registration

looks after the Registration branch. All Registrars and Sub Registrars report to him.

Director Land Records (DLR) supervises the printing of all papers relating to land

record in vernacular form and distributes them. All record pages of the Patwaris are

13 Ibid. Mr. Anjum Zaka Butt

8%

48% 26%

9% 9%

Field Visits

LRMIS

Field offices

BOR

Common citizens

PRMP

Grades Positions

BPS-9 Patwari

BPS-11 Qanoongoh/Girdawar

BPS-14 Naeb- Tehsildar

BPS-16 Tehsildar

26

also printed under the orders of the DLR. The record sheet has specific columns to

record data and update data pertaining to land. Land Record Manual is the basic

document.14

Senior Member BOR described the Patwari as „the linchpin of the

Revenue department, designated with a very important role.‟ The general perception

about the Patwaris being corrupt can be attributed to the fact that they have the

monopoly over certain revenue matters and whenever there is a concept of

monopolization, exploitation stems from it.15

It is imperative to establish the fact that

although Patwari is the lowest ranking official of the Revenue Department associated

with one of the lowest grade BPS-09, the position of Patwari is in fact the most

„sought out‟ one, with regard to recruitment. This can be attributed to the myriad roles

and responsibilities associated with the position of a Patwari and most importantly the

degree of exercising power, commanding undue authority and the element of

immense „nuisance value.‟ Hence making the apparently low paid, lower grade post

the most coveted position among the potential candidates.

Recruitment

For the Revenue Department and their field formations, tests and interviews are

conducted against all recruitments and job description of all the vacancies are

available.16

Patwar School:

According to the DLR and Senior Member BOR, the potential candidates who are

matriculates, enroll in a „Patwar School‟ which is a make shift arrangement operating

in rented facilities. In 1995 the Patwar schools were established for the last time at

Divisional Head Quarters. On average there are 8 make-shift Patwar schools in a

Divisional HQ area.17

A Patwari has to undergo one year training in the Patwar

School and clear an initial exam. The training course is administered and conducted

under the revenue department and not through PPSC or NTS.18

The

instructors/teachers at the Patwar Schools are Tehsil Dars or Naib Tehsil Dars. Since

2003 no Patwar school has been established.19

Findings

Given the importance and the element of authority and responsibility attributed to the

position of a Patwari there is disconnect between the training/skills development of

the Patwari and their important and extensive job role. The makeshift arrangements of

the Patwar school, with no formal training institute specifically established to cater to

the training needs of the Patwaris gives a stark reminder of the fact that no serious

effort is being made to formalize the training process for recruitment to the post of a

Patwari. This clearly shows that although the Patwari is an important functionary of

14 Ibid Mr. Maqbool Ahmed 15 Ibid. Mr. Nadeem Ashraf 16 Ibid. Mr. Maqbool Ahmed 17 Ibid. Mr. Maqbool Ahmed 18 Ibid. Mr. Anjum Zaka Butt 19 Interview with Mr. Sardar Jameel Ahmed, Tehsil Dar Shahdara Lahore dated July 9 2015

27

the Revenue Department, no proper training facility has been established to develop

their skills and understanding in matters pertaining to land record management.

1. Selection and Training:

i. Once the candidates pass the course, waiting lists are prepared and the best

candidates are selected for duty as Patwari in BPS 9 and posted across

different districts.20

ii. Although according to the law, the Assistant Commissioner is the appointing

authority of the Patwaris, it has been observed that due to the deep -rooted

nexus between the elite and the Patwari system, recruitment does revolve

around political patronage and vested interests of the „stakeholders‟ involved.

iii. After 3 years of service the probationary Patwari is regularized as a confirmed

Patwari. The services of a Patwari are confirmed by the respective Assistant

Commissioners after assessing satisfactory performance. The Patwaris are able

to take the Qanoongoi test after 3 years of service as confirmed Patwaris for

promotion to the position of Qanoongoh and Qanoongoh can take the

promotion test for promotion to the position of a Naib Tehsil Dar. But it has

been observed that they are hardly ever promoted.21

iv. Once the officials of the lower cadre are inducted in the Revenue Department,

they undergo no formal training courses or refresher courses.

v. There are no on the job training courses offered to the subordinate staff in the

Revenue Department. There have been instances in which clerks or officials in

the lower cadres get trainings on their own initiative.22

vi. On the other hand the Tehsil Dars (BPS-16) are recruited through Provincial

Public Service Commission (PPSC) and these officials are more competent

since they are recruited through merit based recruitment process. Revenue

record reading is very important for all officials of the Revenue Department.23

2. Functions of Patwari:

On average a Patwari looks after one to six Mouza‟s (a piece of land constituting one

or two Villages or Towns). In Tehsil Ferozwala there are 112 „Mouzas‟ being

managed by 35 Patwaris. A Patwari maintains different records like the Record of

Rights, Shajra Parcha, Field Book, Roznamcha Waqqyati, Roznamcha Qanoongoi,

Roznamcha Partal, Measurement Instruments, Gardawri Register etc. Along with this

Patwari is indirectly playing a major role in Ramzan Bazaar Management, Flood

Management, assisting in Elections, processions, revenue collection, collection of

agriculture tax etc which at times overshadow their actual duties and

responsibilities.24

20 Ibid. Mr. Nadeem Ashraf 21 Ibid Mr. Sardar Jameel Ahmed 22 Ibid. Mr. Maqbool Ahmed 23 Ibid. Mr. Nadeem Ashraf 24 Ibid. Mr. Anjum Zaka Butt

28

Land Record Documents prepared and managed by Patwaris:

A Patwari has to update Roznamcha on daily basis, and there are three kinds of

Roznamchas:

1. Roznamcha Partaal „Patwari.‟ This is a register maintained by the Patwaris

containing land record data which is duly checked and inspected by the senior

officers. The Naib Tehsil Dar, Tehsil Dar and other officers check this register

and enter their observations in the „Note Partal Tasdiq,‟ hence ensuring all

tiers of inspection.

2. Roznamcha Waqaiti: This register contains a periodic record with

corresponding serial numbers with comprehensive reports on the outbreak of

diseases in the area, incidents of robbery, settlement of feuds etc.

3. Roznamcha Hadayat (Ahwal-e-Hadayat): Register containing all the

notifications and orders issued.

4. Roznamcha Qarguzari : Register in which the Patwari writes about his daily

routine and the work accomplished.25

Extra Duties:

Patwari is a pivotal position for not only maintaining land records and revenue

collection but also performs equally critical social, political, financial and

administrative tasks. According to the account of various Patwaris, the extra duties

are an impediment in ensuring smooth service delivery in the Revenue department.

Patwari has to get the banner printing done and prepare the hoardings for the political

rallies, make logistic and administrative arrangements and has to „raise‟ the money for

any visit by senior Government officers, political leadership or any other delegation.

This includes managing the venue and food arrangements, transportation costs for the

motorcades of the officials and the like. These expenses sometimes amount to

millions of Rupees which cannot be simply paid through their pockets, hence they are

dragged into „forced corruption.‟ In addition to this they are assigned special duties

such as inspection of sugar/flour and other commodities which consumes a lot of their

time which in turn hampers their actual duties pertaining to land record management.

The element of corruption is further catalyzed when funds are not disbursed to the

Patwar circles for renting out the „Patwar Khana‟ facilities and there is no budget

apportioned for paying the utility bills and maintenance/operational cost of the Patwar

Khana. All these factors force the Patwaris into rampant corruption.26

3. Ban on Recruitment:

Senior Member BOR apprised the research team that the current political leadership

under the orders of the Chief Minister Punjab has directed the Board of Revenue to

place a ban on the recruitment of Patwaris owing to the public perception about the

rampant corruption within the ranks of Patwaris and the misuse of authority.

25 Ibid Mr. Sardar Jameel Ahmed 26 Interview with Mr. Jameel Ahmed, Patwari Pakki Thatti Circle Lahore dated July 9 2015

29

Currently there are 3000 positions for the post of Patwari lying vacant due to the

request for requisition being rejected by the Government of Punjab under the

directives of the CM which can be attributed to the negative perception of this office

with the political leadership.27

There is a proposed revision in the induction of

Patwaris. The minimum educational requirement of Matriculation for the post of a

Patwari is now being proposed to be upgraded to that of an Intermediate (FA).28

4. Land Record Management Information System (LRMIS)

The Land Record Management Information System has been established to assist in

e-governance and efficient service delivery for matters pertaining to the Revenue

Department. The old land record system was very archaic, recording and maintaining

all the data relating to land records and management was a cumbersome process.

Humanly, it was very difficult to arrange and manage the manual record.

i. Register Haqdaran-e-Zameen:

All data of the owner, Qoum, land, inheritance etc. and their mutation was maintained

separately and after 4 years it was updated by the Patwaris in the respective Patwar

Circles. Due to this cumbersome process, the concerned officials did not manage the

process periodically and mostly the data was not updated manually, the Patwaris just

used to write brief notes against each update, in some cases the writing was illegible.

Parat Patwari is kept by the Patwari and the Parat Sarkar is submitted to the respective

Tehsil Dar.29

ii. Intervention by LRMIS:

Jamabandi, including Farad and mutation procedures is now being computerized by

LRMIS.30

In the new computerized system (LRMIS) the following documents are

being issued:

1) Farad Malkiat

2) Mutation (Inteqal)31

LRMIS teams procured the „Parat Sarkar‟ from the respective districts, scanned all the

documents and then computerized the data. A robust system was put into practice

whereby a state of the art software was developed which worked on a „double data

entry protocol‟ whereby the data was rechecked in two different tiers and the inherent

feature in the software flagged the possible inaccurate data which is further verified

and corrected. The software is meticulously designed to correct the errors pertaining

to division of land and pointing out errors in land measurement and division which is

then further straightened out by the LRMIS teams. The computerization was initiated

at the Mauza level and now the scope is being expanded to the Tehsil level. At 27 Ibid. Mr. Nadeem Ashraf 28 Interview with Mr. Ahmad Ali, Secretary Revenue dated June 10 2015 29 Interview with Ms. Nadia Ahmed Cheema, Manager SD&PD PMU LRMIS, dated June 29 2015. 30 Ibid. Mr. Ahmad Ali. 31 Ibid. Mr. Maqbool Ahmed.

30

Processs of Mutation at an ARC

•Verbal Request at any Counter •Automated

Verification biometric capturing •Automatic

Calculation of Fee •Attestation at

Centre •Record Updated

instantly •Time taken only

50 minutes

Process of Mutation at Patwar Khana

•Request to one person i.e. Patwari •Verification by

Patwari from Record •Manual

Calculation of fee •Attestation at

Public Assembly •Record updated

after four years •Time taken not

defined

Figure 6: Difference in the process of Issueance of Fard and Mutattion

LRMIS centers, a Fard is issued at the fixed amount of Rs. 50 per transaction. The

charges of obtaining a Mutation depend on the value of the land and the computer

generated income tax amount which is printed on the forms to ensure transparency

and curb corrupt practices. 32

With the establishment of computerized centers (LRMIS), Farad issuance process

now takes 30 minutes. Transactional Farad is prepared with photo of the applicant

along with a unique code and time of issuance. The entire mutation process takes 50

minutes through the new computerized system.33

To sensitize the citizens and make them more aware of the processes and fee structure

of the services provided by LRMIS, instructions are displayed at every LRMIS center.

Currently there are 143 LRMIS centers known as „Arazi Record Centers‟ in 143

Tehsils across Punjab. The land record management information system is also

streamlining the personal details of the land owners and matching it with the

information on CNIC. In most instances it was found that the real name of the owner

was not written on the land records, for instance if the land owner‟s real name is Allah

Ditta on the CNIC, he might have registered it as „Dittu‟ in the land records. The

LRMIS team is using the computerized system to sync the real names of the land

owners as registered in the CNIC with their land records. To facilitate the citizens,

now Tehsil Dars have been authorized to correct the names of the citizens on the Land

Records matching their CNIC. ADLR calls the buyer and seller parties to the LRMIS

center where they go through a biometric verification process (thumb impressions are

taken from both parties) their pictures are taken and their record is subsequently

updated.

32 Ibid. Ms. Nadia Ahmed Cheema. 33 Ibid. Mr. Nadeem Ashraf

Fard Issuance Processs at ARC

Verbal Request at any counter

Automated verification biometric capturing

Automated Fee Calculation

Payment at cash counter

Printed Fard issued by SCO

Fard Issuance by Patwari

Request to Patwari

Verification by Patwari from

Record

Manual Fee Determination

Payment of fee to Patwari

Hand Written Fard issuance by

Patwari

31

Source: LRMIS, 2015

Figure 9 above shows a comprehensive comparison of the process of obtaining a

„Fard‟ and „Mutation‟ from the Patwari and the LRMIS Arazi Record Centers (ARC)

respectively. The figure details the systematic procedure and the ease with which the

common citizens are facilitated by the ARC in obtaining the „Fard‟ and „Mutation.‟

The new computerized system is more cost effective, less time consuming and it

minimizes the interface of Patwaris, hence improving the service delivery of the

Revenue Department.

iii. Inheritance and Women Empowerment:

Inheritance process now takes approximately 15 days in which the LRMIS

management sends the documents for field verification in the respective areas and

hence the interface of the Patwatri is curtailed. LRMIS has undertaken certain steps

for the empowerment of the women. In order to ensure that the women get their due

inheritance, the new system and procedure at LRMIS verifies all inheritance data with

NADRA to ascertain the status of the family members in line with the inheritance. In

the past the people used to bribe Patwaris to make fake records which entailed that the

women folk in the inheritance have „died‟ and the male members used to take their

share of the inheritance as well. Now the new system requires the women to be

physically present to process the inheritance and they have to biometrically verify if

they have waived off their right to inheritance. „Chalans‟ issued at the LRMIS centers

are computerized, displaying the legal fee with all the taxes. LRMIS is working for

maximum community outreach by using mass media techniques and it has received

quite an overwhelming response from the ordinary citizens gauged through the

citizens‟ perception interviews.34

5. Patwari System versus LRMIS:

Patwaris welcome the introduction of the new computerized system (LRMIS), but

they find a lot of inherent issues in the new system. According to them, Land Revenue

Recovery has directly been affected by the computerization of the land records. As

the public interface of Patwari is being removed and replaced by Assistant Director

Land records (ADLR) appointed at the Arazi Record Centers, it is becoming difficult

for the Patwari to collect revenue as Patwari is not being seen as important figure

now. The people usually ignore him and seldom pay heed to him. A Patwari is

usually appointed at the place where he belongs to and knows most of the people of

the specific locality. That makes it easy for him to manage the land records whereas

the ADLR is not aware of the ground realities. According to them computerization

has created more complexities and problems and there are more chances of corruption

in it. The land scam of Rakh Sultanki in Bahria Town and Rakh Jo Jo are a stark

reminder of the corrupt practices within the ranks of the LRMIS staff, whereby

several officials of the LRMIS were apprehended by the Police and put behind the

34 Ibid. Ms Nadia Ahmed Cheema.

32

bars owing to their involvement in a mega corruption scandal. They also apprised the

research team that there are a number of other duties which cannot be performed

through computerization such as:

1. Girdawri (Colllection of Zari tax, there are two types of Girdawari, Rabi

Girdawari done in October and Khareef Girdawari done in March)

2. Nishaan Dahi (Demarcation)

3. Taqseem Jaat ( Distribution of land)35

According to Patwaris, the process of Inteqal (Mutation) takes more time and more

money is demanded from the people through touts in ARCs. Before the introduction

of the computerized system, there was an element of respect among the people for the

Patwaris. The public dealing of the Patwari was also better, since the Patwari used to

respond to the requests of the citizens in a timely manner and offered the citizens tea

and refreshments and all the transactions were undertaken in a congenial

environment. With the introduction of the computerized system by the LRMIS, a lot

of issues surfaced. There are frequent issues with the computerized system. Errors in

data and procedural issues are quite evident. Power outages with no backup power

resources restrict and limit the work at the ARC. People coming from far flung areas

often have to wait for days in order to get their work done. There have been instances

of rampant corruption and negligence in duty at the ARCs.36

6. Issues

Salary of a Patwari is meager and not enough to make ends meet. In most of the

instances after a service of 25 long years, he is only getting Rs 25000 per month

inclusive of all benefits. Patwaris are given minimal increment in pay every year.

There is an annual increment of just Rs 7.5. There have also been no promotions from

2007 onwards as the government is vowing to end “Patwari Culture”. Partwaris do

not get stationery allowance. All stationery has to be procured by the Patwari through

his „self generated‟ funds. Their offices are not in a good shape. Most of the offices

are established in rented facilities (rent is borne by the Patwari from his own pocket).

It is binding upon the Patwri to complete his assigned tasks, working unsocial hours

and there is no payment for working overtime.37

On Senior Member BOR‟s personal initiative, the Government of Punjab has

approved the traveling allowances (TA) of the Patwaris from Rs 6000/- to Rs 14000/-

per month as a fixed travelling allowance. Motorcycles have also been sanctioned to

Patwaris. Directives have been issues to increase the Basta allowance (Stationery

allowance) for the Patwari from a meager Rs. 5 per month to Rs. 1000 per month.38

However although the notification of Basta allowance of Rs. 1000 per year, increment

35 Interview with Mr.Haji Hassan Deen (Patwari), Mr. Safdar Hussain Shah (Girdawar), Mr. Rana Muhammad

Sajjid (Tehsildar) & Mr. Rana Khalid Ahmed (Naib Tehsildar) Patwar Circle Raiwand Lahore District, dated June

29 2015 36 Ibid. Mr. Sardar Jameel Ahmed 37 Ibid. Mr. Jameel Ahmed. 38 Ibid Mr. Nadeem Ashraf

33

of Rs. 6000/- and motorcycle for commuting of Patwari has been issued but there is

no implementation of this notification yet.39

Patwar Khanas (premises) are established

on rented buildings and operational costs have to be borne by the Patwaris

themselves. Hence whenever the „employment is subsidized‟ the problems of

corruption increase. The element of apathy towards this lower cadre is one of the

biggest deterrents in their professional development and undermining their efficiency.

There are no training programs for the lower cadres of the Revenue department. The

staff has limited knowhow of the laws pertaining to land and revenue and there is no

training of these officials vis-a-vis public service delivery. The general public

interacts with this lower cadre staff on daily basis and the Government is ignoring

their legitimate training right.40

7. Analysis of the Interviews:

Figure 7: Issues in Service Delivery

Figure 10: Analysis of interviews entailing the „Issues which lead to inefficiency in

service delivery in the Revenue Department.‟

Figure 10 details the responses of 21 interviewees regarding their perception about

„what issues lead to inefficiency in service delivery in the Revenue Department.‟ It is

interesting to note that majority of the respondents (35%) consider extra duties of the

lower cadre staff, especially the extra duties and responsibilities of the Patwari to be

the main deterrent in effective service delivery in the Revenue Department. It is

followed by issues with the work environment (32%), most of the officials in the

lower cadre are of the view that Patwar Khana‟s established on rented facilities are

not in a good shape and most of the buildings are in shambles with no budget

allocation for operational and maintenance costs. Only 24% of the respondents

considered low salary to be a deterrent in effective service delivery and a meager 9%

39 Ibid Mr. Jameel Ahmed. 40 Ibid. Mr. Nadeem Ashraf

24%

35%

32%

9%

Issues in Service Delivery

Low Salary

Extra Duties

Work Enviornment

Lack of Promotion &Training

34

consider lack of promotion and training in the lower cadre to be an issue which limits

their efficiency in service delivery.

RECOMMENDATIONS

REVENUE DEPARTMENT

Training and Capacity Building

The lower cadre staff of Revenue Department is in a dire need of capacity

enhancement through focused training programs. According to the DLR and other

officials of the BOR the following training initiatives should be carried out for the

subordinate staff:

1) Extensive training on Land Records.

2) Training on effectively carrying out land settlement.

For the lower cadre staff, only typing or ability to use a computer is not enough for

the capacity development and the subsequent improvement in the service delivery.

Land Acquisition Act is very important and all the staff members of Revenue

Department should go through this document. There are 84 prominent laws of

Revenue which are frequently used.

Training initiatives and Promotions of Patwaris

Patwaris usually follow the model of „Training by learning‟ which is of course a self

initiative. The Patwar Schools should be formalized and proper training facilities

should be established and qualified instructors should appointed to provide

specialized training to the candidates aspiring to be selected as Patwaris. This will in

turn bring about an improvement in the skill set of the candidates. Thus in order to

bring about a major reform in the Revenue Department, the focus could be on

increasing the quantity and improving the quality of the Patwar Schools.

The capacity of the Patwaris could be enhanced in an ongoing capacity

institutionalization process and they need to be given formal trainings on

1) Land record manual.

2) Land record rules.

3) Stamp Act.

4) Registration rules.

5) Knowledge of all laws pertaining to land management.

6) Laws compendium. 41

There are no promotion opportunities for Patwaris. There is a promotion policy in

place but on ground no Patwari is being promoted. This is a very complex issue, since

41 Ibid. Mr.Maqbool Ahmed

35

most of the Patwaris themselves do not want to be promoted owing to the authority

and large span of control associated with the position of a Patwari which fades away

to an extent in the subsequent higher grades.

Service Delivery

In order to improve the standard of service delivery among Patwaris, if the

Government establishes proper training facilities (Patwar Schools/Academies) along

the lines of their counterparts in other Provincial Government Departments, appoint

well trained instructors and design robust training programs, things will change and

get better. In the past Patwari was part of the local community and was considered as

an important member of the society. Now due to absentee landlords their role is

changing and it had induced corruption. The Patwari‟s authority is now sidelined to

some extent and issues of rampant corruption and inefficiency are now decreasing due

to the computerization of some of the main functions of the Patwari. Henceforth the

monopoly of the Patwari is now in the process of being mitigated and corruption is

curtailed to a certain extent. In addition to this the land acquisition act of the 1800s is

redundant now and needs to be revamped/reorganized. 42

Proper budget allocation for establishing Patwar Khanas should be the need of the

hour. All the Patwar khanas established on rented facilities should be provided

alternate office spaces in buildings of the Revenue Department.

Operational/maintenance allowance should be provided to each Patwar Khana to

ensure smooth running of the revenue functions and curtailing corruption, along with

a periodic mechanism of checks and balances on each Patwar circle.

In order to bring about reforms within the ranks of Patwaris, it is important to

understand that the corrupt practices prevalent within this cadre can be mainly

attributed to the extra duties assigned to the Patwaris which clearly overshadows their

actual duties and responsibilities. The element of „generating‟ funds for political

rallies, visits of dignitaries and the like, somewhat compel the lower cadre in the

Revenue department to adopt corrupt practices and forcefully engage in fraudulent

dealings in land management. The extra duties entailed above are forcefully imposed

on the Patwaris by their superior officers. The Patwaris and the subordinate cadre of

the Revenue Department do not get any allowance to undertake these tasks. Rather

they are required to „generate‟ funds for the „activities,‟ and have to pay the bills for

petrol for the motorcades of the VVIPs and make proper arrangements for the food in

case of visits by dignitaries. So the reform mechanism can be focused on ensuring that

the Patwari only performs his designated responsibilities and duties that too of course

in an accountable manner with necessary checks and balances by their superior

officers.43

A few officials of the lower cadre suggested that, if Patwari‟s pay is

42 Ibid. Mr. Nadeem Ashraf 43 Ibid. Mr. Sardar Jameel Ahmed.

36

increased to Rs. 50,000 or more per month, the element of corruption will be lowered

to some extent.44

The Patwaris used to have instruments for land measurement that included the

„Jareeb‟- a key instrument for measurement of land. In the case of any issue

pertaining to land measurement, the Patwaris used this instrument which looks like a

marked stick of a standardized length, the concerned Patwaris then used the Jareeb to

measure the land and record it accordingly. But now the Patwaris have no proper

instruments for such tasks, these instruments should be sanctioned to the Patwaris for

better service delivery. The Land Revenue Act of 1967 is a robust act, it contains the

constitution of the Board, superintendence and control of Revenue Officers and

Revenue Courts and the powers of the Board are also governed through this Act. The

Act also establishes the guidelines for the conduct of business, with prior approval

from the Government, the Board has the authority to make rules. The Revenue Act of

1967 can be modified taking into account current dynamics of land record

management and reintroduced in the Revenue Department. Systematic monitoring of

Partwaris daily work should be carried out. The „Kitab Karguzari Patwari‟ that

contained monitoring remarks of the Deputy Commissioner is no longer maintained.

This practice should be revived. Hence reforming the old system and making it more

robust is the need of the hour. LRMIS is indeed a robust system which should be

further refined and streamlined. It would be a good idea to integrate the Patwaris in

the new system, instead of alienating them. Patwari system and computerized system

should go hand in hand rather than in complete isolation of one another.45

CONCLUSION

In recent years the Revenue Department of Punjab underwent certain administrative

and structural reforms, which had a positive impact on the service delivery of the

department. Senior officers are now directed to report to BOR regarding their

monitoring visits to sub offices in the districts. Officers then charge sheet the violators

and take up the serious cases in the court of law. Computerization of the land record

management data has curtailed corruption to a certain extent. Rs 40 billion tax

collection has been reported by the BOR in 2014. The introduction of LRMIS has

streamlined the process of obtaining land records and facilitated the citizens in getting

effective and efficient services .The laws under which Patwaris still function include

the demarcation of the land along with other matters pertaining to land measurement

and collection of taxes. Patwaris should be integrated in the new computerized system

instead of being sidelined, only then the system can run smoothly. The study is

ongoing and more findings will be shared through the subsequent focus group

discussions.

For the Education department this Baseline study has highlighted the key findings in

the recruitment and training of the lower cadre and their public service delivery. The

need to create linkages between pre-service and in-service trainings is essential for

44 Ibid. Mr.Haji Hassan Deen, Mr. Safdar Hussain Shah, Mr. Rana Muhammad Sajjid & Mr. Rana Khalid Ahmed. 45 Ibid. Mr. Sardar Jameel Ahmed & Mr. Haji Hassan Deen.

37

efficient and effective public service delivery. Furthermore, the system of follow-up

after trainings was seen to be the missing element, which the training institutes were

aware of, and realized the need of it to be effectively built into the system. The

process of research is ongoing and subsequent findings shall be merged as the study

moves forward.