Education takes back seat in the tug of war between teachers and new management

HYDERABAD:

The Sindh Education Foundation's (SEF) initiative to improve government schooling with the help of private volunteers has come under fire with regards to one of its projects in Hyderabad.

In April this year, the SEF handed over Navalrai Hiranand Government High School, which celebrated its 126th birthday last month, to a non-governmental organisation (NGO) under its 'Adopt a School Programme'. However, a tug of war between the adopter, ZIMM Global Educational Welfare Society headed by Flt Lt (R) Musarat Shah, and the school teachers began after the change in management.



The protesting school teachers, with complete backing of Government Schools Teachers Association (GSTA), demanded the government to rescind the three-year contract with the NGO. "But then we settled with the new management hoping for betterment of education under SEF's policy framework," said Mir Atta Muhammad Talpur, a high school teacher at Navalrai who was among those who led the protest.

However, the lull did not last longer. The resumption of classes after the summer vacations resurrected the hostilities over several issues with each side blaming the other of hatching conspiracies.

The teachers and representatives of the local community accused Shah of using the school premises for private purposes and failing to institute teaching and learning reforms.

"She [Shah] closed down the biology and technical labs under the pretext of crumbling structures," said a school teacher requesting anonymity. "Around the same time she started a private computer centre and beautician training centre, both the courses run under the Prime Minister's Youth Training Programme, in other halls of the school." He pointed out that the teachers had good reason to doubt the intentions of the NGO of using the premises for personal purposes.

In another move that dismayed the teachers, Shah handed over in September the school's table tennis hall to a private person allowing him to establish a table tennis academy. "[The] adopter of this school hand illegally allotted class rooms to Friends Tennis Academy for establishment of [a] table tennis club," reads a letter submitted to education secretary that is signed by dozens of teachers. "Also illegally [formed] beautician salon and computer courses are running purely on commercial basis."  If such activities fueling resentment were not enough, the adopter also allowed the use of the school's ground for filming a telefilm to a private producer on November 22. The move irked the local residents who alleged that obscene activities happened in the school in the garb of film making.



Blame game

Notwithstanding the charges of alleged misuse of the school, Shah finds a nexus of teachers and local residents who concoct stories of her maladministration. "They remained de facto governors of the school before I took over and harmed their interests," she asserted while talking to The Express Tribune over phone.

She justified opening both the centres as well as the table tennis academy, contending that they were beneficial for both the school's teachers and students. But, she could not explain what advantage the students of this boys only school are likely to take from the beautician training centre.

Shah admitted that she allowed the recording of the telefilm. "The school guards and I were present there [during the recording]. It is false to assert that any obscene activities were allowed." She questioned why the teachers do not object to the evening classes of Allama Iqbal Open University which have been continuing in the school for several years.

Although, she counts the regular attendance of students and teachers attendance as her achievement, she could not point out what teaching and learning reforms have been made during last eight months of her management. "I have submitted recommendation to the secretary [education] for teachers training. I hope it will be started after a month or two."



SEF's reaction 

However, SEF's deputy director Rustam Ali expressed ignorance about the conflicts plaguing the school. "No complaint has been submitted to us so far. But, we can initiate an inquiry if we get written complaint about the violations [against the Memorandum of Understanding with the NGO]," he told The Express Tribune.

According to him, the contract can be terminated in the light of the inquiry's findings. The official, however, could not give a satisfactory reply when asked why the SEF's regular monitoring failed to notice such complaints.

History of the school

Navalrai Hiranand Government High School is located in the old city area on Risala Road. It was founded by a Hindu family, known as Sadhu brothers, in 1889. The family, which was well known for their community services, raised funds from the community to build the school. The school building's structure is shaped like 'E' which symbolizes education.

Like other properties left by the migrating Hindus after 1947 partition, the school also went under the ownership of the Evacuee Trust Property Board. The board later handed it over only for the education purpose to the Sindh education department. In March 2009, the Sindh Culture Department declared it a heritage building.  Around 600 students of classes six to ten are enrolled in the school where some 58 teachers including over 30 HST and eight JST besides physical, drawing and workshop instructors teach.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 6^th, 2015.