Free education for all : SHC seeks report from Sindh government

Petitioner moves court against inadequate education for children in rural areas.

KARACHI:

The Sindh High Court has sought a report from the Sindh government on the implementation of a new article in the Constitution on Wednesday.

The newly added Article 25-A in the Constitution of Pakistan under the 18th Amendment makes free education compulsory for all children between the ages of five and 16 years.

A division bench, comprising Chief Justice Mushir Alam and Justice Syed Hasan Azhar Rizvi, asked an additional advocate general, representing the Sindh government, to file a report within four weeks, detailing “what measures have been taken to provide guaranteed education to the children of this province”.

The bench was hearing a constitutional petition filed by Islam Husain, chairman of the al Qanoon Trust, who moved the court against inadequate education for children in rural areas, single syllabus in schools, and the appointment of uneducated and untrained teachers.

On Wednesday, the deputy secretary for education, Abdul Ghaffar Daudpoto, appeared before the bench on notice. He said that he is only concerned with preparing the schemes. Their approval and disapproval was not in his hands. He also submitted a copy of the Annual Development Programme and other new schemes. The bench noted that out of the 32 schemes mentioned in the report, only five were approved. In some of the schemes, the date of approval was not mentioned. Some of the schemes appeared to be from the year 2009 yet the authorities had shown no progress. The education secretary was directed to file a progress report.

Adjourning the proceedings, the bench observed that “under the new Article 25-A inserted through the 18th Amendment, the right to education to all children of ages five to 16 years is guaranteed and the state has assumed the responsibility to give free and compulsory education”.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 12^th, 2011.