Chandigarh, Aug 3 - With education in the international border belt with Pakistan being affected by non-availability of teachers, the Punjab government Friday announced the creation of a separate cadre of teachers.

Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal, after a meeting of senior functionaries here Friday, said the separate cadre of teachers will be for the 16-km border belt "keeping in view the acute and perennial shortage of teachers in the border belt".

Punjab shares a 550-km-long international border with Pakistan. Over the years, the Punjab government has been facing the problem of teachers unwilling to be posted in schools in the border belt.

Reviewing the working of the education department with Education Minister S.S. Maluka and Bathinda MP Harsimrat Kaur Badal, Sukhbir said that "since the last 65 years, border areas have faced a constant problem of shortage of teachers and this could be solved only by creating a separate cadre, who would remain permanently posted in the border areas".

Maluka said the education department had asked teachers if they would like to be included in the border cadre. He said that after filling the posts by options, the remaining vacant posts would be advertised for fresh recruitment.

Giving directions to fill vacant posts in rural schools across Punjab, Badal said the already recruited teachers and all teachers hired in the future would be compulsorily posted in rural areas for a minimum of three years.

Badal directed that postings of teachers should be rotated and those enjoying permanent urban postings should be also made to serve in rural areas.