The School Education Department Punjab, has issued a much-awaited notification regarding BS equivalence to MA/MSc(16 years of education) for academic and promotion purposes. This step has cleared longstanding confusion among teachers who have been waiting for their promotion for a long time.
For a long time, many Primary School Teachers (PSTs) were uncertain whether their BS (16 years) degree would be accepted as equivalent to an MSc for promotion to EST. Traditionally, only BSc (14 years) and MSc (16 years) were accepted. This notification brings relief by officially recognizing BS degrees as valid for promotions.
On 3rd July 2025, a meeting of the Qualification Equivalence Determination Committee (QEDC) was held at the Committee Room of the School Education Department, Lahore. The committee officially confirmed that BS (16 years of education) is equivalent to MA/MSc (16 years of education) for academic recognition.
Additionally, a separate meeting was held on 16th June 2025 at 11:30 AM focused on the promotion of Primary School Teachers (PST) to Elementary School Teachers (EST). In this meeting, the committee also reviewed the equivalence of BS with MSc for promotion purposes.
Key Highlights of the Notification
BS (16 years education) is equivalent to MA/MSc (16 years education).
The degree is officially recognized for academic and administrative purposes.
The notification applies to promotions from PST to EST in Punjab’s School Education Department.
The move provides equal opportunities for candidates holding BS degrees to compete alongside MA/MSc degree holders.
Meeting Recommendations
The Qualification Equivalence Determination Committee (QEDC) made several important recommendations regarding BS equivalence to MA/MSc for PST to EST promotion:
Amendment of Service Rules 2014
The School Education Department should amend the rules to allow PSTs with BS (16 years) or MSc (16 years) to be promoted to ESTs.
Both BS and MSc are considered Level 6 qualifications, higher than BSc (14 years), which is Level 5.
Promotion Eligibility Based on Higher Qualifications
If promotions are already allowed on the basis of BSc (14 years), then in the interest of quality standards, it is rational to also allow BS/MSc (16 years degree holders) for EST promotions.
Course Content Relevance
A BS degree (16 years) will be considered equivalent for promotion purposes if it includes at least 70% of coursework in relevant science subjects such as Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry, Botany, Zoology, and Biology.
This ensures that subject-relevant qualifications are given priority in promotions.
