Education and all that

Education, at all levels in Sindh province, is marred by official apathy. This is resulting in killing enthusiasm of pupils to learn. A report in this newspaper says there are incomplete school buildings, left roofless and without gates and doors for years together, without bathrooms and washrooms, and drinking water and other basic facilities. School buildings are being used for purposes other than imparting education. There are schools with only one teacher for many students, and there are schools with many teachers for few pupils.

In Thatta district, there is a school which has only two teachers for 185 students, and the school, built in 1956, is still without a roof. There are many schools where students are taught under the open sky. There is the long-persisting problem of ghost schools, ghost teachers and ghost staffers. This is the state of affairs even though over the years, more and more money is being allocated for education in the provincial budget. In the current budget, the budgetary allocation was increased to Rs244.5 billion from last year’s amount of Rs212 billion. Unfortunately, there is not much to show for the rising budgetary allocations. Several years ago, the government had approved the setting up of a degree college in Thatta town but there is no lecturer to teach students.

Locals regularly try to draw the authorities’ attention to the poor state of education, but their pleas fall on deaf ears, or officials are elusive. On Feb 8, during the hearing of a petition seeking reforms in the education sector and restoration of public schools in the province, the Sindh High Court took serious notice of the situation. The court asked officials why teachers of closed schools were regularly being paid their salaries. It expressed dissatisfaction with a government report pertaining to the sorry state of affairs and sought a detailed report. The hearing was adjourned to March 10. Obviously, officials and teachers are oblivious of what they are doing.