KARACHI:
Amid the ongoing political crisis in the country, especially in Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (K-P), basic public issues are being ignored by those at the helm. The federal government has turned a blind eye towards the poor educational situation.
Having studied at educational institutes in rural Punjab, I’m well aware of the issues faced by students in rural areas. Most government schools and colleges have a dearth of teaching staff. When I was studying FSc in college, the permanent faculty was small, but the government hired college teaching interns (CTI) on a contract basis to cope with staff shortages. However, now most colleges lack teachers specialising in different subjects and CTIs are rarely recruited. While the number of students has grown, teachers have remained scarce compelling the available teachers to teach different subjects in packed classrooms. Naturally, this is affecting the quality of teaching. Students are provided with few additional facilities to support their learning.
The government’s failure to facilitate the education sector is augmenting the crisis in both rural and urban areas. It is unfair and unjustifiable for parents to continue paying such hefty fees when their children are not receiving a quality education. Many college teachers ignore their responsibilities and instead seek postings in big cities to avail urban facilities and earn extra money by teaching at private academies. Will this criminal apathy of those sitting in the corridors of power come to an end or should the students from rural areas give up on their ambitions? Instead of making tall claims, the federal and provincial governments should take concrete steps to reform public education in both rural and urban Punjab.
Muhammad Faseeh ul Hassan
Islamabad
Published in The Express Tribune, December 6th, 2022.
Like Opinion & Editorial on Facebook, follow @ETOpEd on Twitter to receive all updates on all our daily pieces.
