Hard lessons: Learning without teachers

12 govt schools likely to close down next year due to lack of facilities and staff.

SIALKOT: Over twelve government boys and girls primary schools in Bajwat-Sialkot are likely to be closed next year due to the unavailability of teachers and poor facilities.

According to a teacher at the Government Primary School for Girls, Misbah Hayat, she has been teaching over 36 students for three years without access to a class room or chairs. “The only other option was for me to quit as well. So many other teachers have quit already and the school would have been shut down so I stayed. I have been taking classes outside under a tree for years,” she said.

Following summer vacations this year, classes in 8 of the mentioned schools were delayed by two months and have only just started. “There were simply no teachers to teach them. We have no facilities and no staff. The children still come here every day but most of the time they just play outside,” said Government Secondary School for Boys, Daska gatekeeper Mukhtar.

The Sialkot Education Department had appointed as many as 30 male and female educators teachers for Bajwat schools in 2010 but many of the teachers posted to work in remote areas and rural villages have asked for transfers or resigned from their posts. Punjab Teachers Union (PTU) Sialkot district office bearers have expressed grave concern over the situation.

Government Girls Primary School Glotiyaan Kalan, Daska tehsil, staff said that they had been forced to teach under terrible conditions. “There is a huge pool of sewerage water right next to the school and there are no working fans in classrooms. In the summer, it is so hot that we prefer to take class outside otherwise students collapse from the heat,” said teacher Lubna Pasha.

Teachers and students said that there were no facilities at the school. “The burden on teachers is immense. At present we are working with nearly one or two teachers per school. They teach every class and that is why they cannot focus on separate subjects,” said administrator Rahman.

“I teach classes 1 to 5 on a daily basis. I don’t have time to focus on individual subjects like Math and English so I just cramp everything into an hour’s lecture for each class,” Pasha said. “I know it isn’t fair to the children but it is better than nothing,” she added.

Parents of students said that they had protested repeatedly. “It makes no difference how often we come out on the streets.

They don’t bother putting money into these schools. I am hoping that next year things will be better but I fear the schools may just shut down,” said the mother of a 4th grader, Nisar Bibi.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 24^th, 2011.