Are 66 schools enough for 300k children?
Sindh High Court building. PHOTO: EXPRESS
The Sindh High Court questioned the provincial government on Tuesday on the measures taken thus far to ensure school education for children with disabilities. A two-member bench comprising Justice Salahuddin Panhwar and Justice Adnanul Karim Memon sought a detailed report from the Sindh assistant advocate general and the special education secretary on the condition of some 66 such schools across the province.
The bench, hearing a non-governmental organisation's plea seeking better education facilities for children with disabilities, was informed by the Sindh special education secretary that there are 176 posts in the special education system out of which only 50 have been filled. The bench expressed surprise at the vacancy of 126 posts.
At this, the secretary stated that the staff employed at these schools is trained in Islamabad. He added that the autism centres receive an annual budget of Rs150 million. Around three hundred children are studying at autism centres, he added.
During the hearing, the bench enquired how 'special education' was defined and the purpose it served.
The secretary replied that special education was imparted to children with hearing or speaking disabilities.
Submitting a report before the court, the secretary informed that as per the Bureau of Statistics, there are around 300,000 children with disabilities in Sindh. Of them, 3,653 children are studying in 66 different schools.
The bench questioned whether only 66 schools were enough to cater to the children's education.
The court further enquired about the budget received by the department in the past five years and sought details on the work undertaken.
To this, the special education secretary said that the budget was sent directly to the district education officers.
"Have you ever visited the schools? What are the children taught?" asked the bench.
Children with disabilities are taught up till Grade XII in these schools, said the secretary.
Surprised at the number of vacancies in the schools for children with disabilities, the bench directed the relevant authorities to clarify what steps needed to be taken to improve the schools.
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The court directed the Sindh assistant advocate general and the special education secretary to visit all such schools across the province and submit a detailed report along with pictures and videos within four weeks.
What's in a name?
Meanwhile, a two-member bench, headed by SHC Chief Justice Ahmed Ali Shaikh and comprising Justice Yousuf Ali Sayeed, issued notices to the National Database Registration Authority (NADRA) chairperson and other parties over the non-issuance of a Computerised National Identity Card (CNIC) to a girl with disability without details of her absent father. The petitioner's counsel informed the bench that his client, Rubina, was raised by her mother after her father abandoned them when she was still a child. The counsel stated that NADRA refused to issue his client a CNIC because her father was absent even though she has a disability certificate and is facing difficulties in getting the coronavirus vaccine. The non-issuance of CNIC has also hindered travelling and the opening of a bank account for Rubina, said the counsel.
The petitioner's counsel prayed the court to direct NADRA to issue Rubina her CNIC in her mother's name.
The bench issued notices to the relevant authorities seeking their replies within two weeks and adjourned the hearing.
Sentence commuted
Another two-member bench comprising Justice KK Agha and Justice Irshad Ali Shah commuted the death sentence handed to a murder convict to life imprisonment.
The convict, Jahanzeb, had appealed his conviction by the trial court in 2019 and sought acquittal. The appellant was convicted of shooting dead a citizen, Malik Saeed, 22, on February 2, 2013. His accomplices, Javed and Farooq, are still on the run, according to the police. Another citizen, Rab Nawaz, who lodged the complaint against Jahanzeb at the relevant police station was also injured in the firing.
Rejecting Jahanzeb's appeal, the court commuted the death sentence awarded to him to life imprisonment.
Published in The Express Tribune, September 15th, 2021..