KARACHI:
In Pakistan, not all children have the opportunity to avail quality education. This is exemplified by the high number of out-of-school children and the rising illiteracy rate. There are 72,000 teachers and over 2.9 million students in the primary education sector of Sindh. Nearly 47% of primary schools have only one teacher. As of 2020, there were about 76,000 functional classrooms.
The Sindh Education Department shared some of these figures with the public. Sindh has nearly 44,000 schools, out of which 3,000 schools are not functioning. The government plans to close these schools down soon. Students lack interest in education because government schools do not have basic facilities such as washrooms, boundary walls, water dispensers, proper chairs, and desks. Furthermore, Sindh government failed to upgrade the educational curriculum for students. An outdated curriculum with obsolete teaching methods is hampering the creativity and capability of the youth.
A 2021 survey revealed that almost 90% of schools did not have science and mathematics teachers. Teachers are not qualified or trained to teach different subjects. To make matters worse, verbal, and physical abuse is pervasive in most government schools. As a student, I see Pakistan losing great potential — the potential to make Pakistan a better place. The Ministry of Education needs to work on addressing the problems in our education system before it is too late. The non-functional schools should be rehabilitated and equipped with the necessary facilities to provide students with ample resources.
Hafsah Haq
Karachi
Published in The Express Tribune, May 13th, 2023.
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