Staff Reporter:

The government has suspended transfer activities of all government primary school teachers across the country indefinitely, State Minister for Primary and Mass Education Bobby Hajjaj has said on Monday.

He made the announcement at a press conference held at the Secretariat marking International Literacy Day.

“The transfer activities will resume after the appointment of 14,500 new teachers and the formulation of a timely and updated policy,” Hajjaj said.

The state minister said the country currently needs around 35,000 headmasters for government primary schools. He added that completing such a large-scale recruitment process quickly through the Public Service Commission (PSC) would take considerable time.

“Therefore, the government is considering whether a ‘one-off’ policy can be introduced,” he said.

Meanwhile, the Directorate of Primary Education is working on a policy to bring all kindergartens and private primary schools under its supervision.

Hajjaj also said the government plans to introduce a mid-day meal programme in all government primary schools across the country from next year.