Sindh education dept to end evening shift in govt schools

District education officers gather data to ascertain schools with low enrolment

KARACHI: Sindh education and literacy department is considering ending the evening shift at government schools. The issue, prompted by the low enrolment rates of students in the evening shift, was discussed in the steering committee's meeting on Friday.

According to a report issued by the Reform Support Unit for 2016-17, there are 999 government schools that offer afternoon or evening shifts. Out of these, 767 are primary schools, 134 are middle or elementary schools, 93 schools are secondary and five are higher secondary schools. A total of 41,240 schools only offer morning shift. These include 37,288 primary schools, 2,091 middle or elementary schools, 1,584 secondary schools and 277 higher secondary schools.



The report stated that 144 schools offer the morning and evening shifts both. These include 77 primary schools, 16 middle or elementary schools, 42 secondary schools and nine higher secondary schools.

There are many schools where the number of teacher staff and non-teaching staff is greater than the students. Such schools will also be shifted or merged with schools with morning shift.

While talking to The Express Tribune, Schools Education Secretary Qazi Shahid Parvez said that those government schools in which the enrolment is extremely low will be shifted or merged with the morning shift schools. On the other hand, the schools which have an appropriate rate of enrolment will continue offering evening shifts for students.

He said that the students in the morning shift study at schools for six hours while the students studying in the evening shift only get four hours of schooling. He added that there are many overstaffed schools where teachers remain idle all day. Such schools will also be shifted keeping in mind their location, the number of students enrolled at the school and their access to schools.

Sindh education and literacy department will save millions of rupees by ending the evening shifts at schools with low enrolment. The district education officers have started gathering data from the principals in order to create an action plan.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 11^th, 2019.