Govt schools fall short of admission target

Government schools in Punjab have ‘miserably’ failed to meet the target of admissions for the 2024-25 academic session under the first phase. The sword of privatisation, shortage of academic staff and inadequate facilities at these schools are further threatening to hinder the second phase of admissions starting August 15.

Enrolment numbers in private schools, on the other hand, have surpassed those in government schools. Students in public sector schools have also yet to receive free textbooks, despite the start of the academic session five months ago. The number of out-of-school students has alarmingly risen to 27 million in Punjab.

The declining standard of education in government schools could be linked to the lack of teachers as there are around 185,000 vacant posts in 42,000 government schools across Punjab. The last recruitment took place in 2017. The privatisation of schools has further reduced the number of government schools.

There is a shortage of science teachers in 70% of government schools. Moreover, 90% of computer labs are inactive due to a lack of functional equipment and teachers. The absence of sports facilities is another concern, with 92% of schools facing a shortage of physical training teachers and inadequate sports equipment.

Libraries are also scarce, with few schools having functional libraries, and even those that do often have limited books hardly issue books to students. In 65% of schools, essential staff positions such as class IV sweepers, financial assistants, watchmen, lab attendants, and deputy messengers remain vacant.

The physical infrastructure of schools is also in disarray, with a lack of functional washrooms and a 60% shortage of furniture. The condition of school buildings is equally concerning. 70% of government school buildings in Punjab were donated by citizens between the 1980s and mid-1990s, and no new high school buildings have been constructed in the current century.

Muhammad Shafiq Bhalwalia, the central secretary of the Punjab SES Teachers Association, expressed his concern that education was no longer a priority for the government. He lamented that the provincial Education Department had become a mere laboratory, where each successive government implemented its own experimental system, only to be rolled back when a new government took over.

Bhalwalia highlighted the severe shortages in government schools, including a lack of teachers, science labs, computer labs, and sports facilities and attributed the destruction of the education system to privatisation, which had led to the sale of schools with large buildings in valuable commercial areas.

“This year the admission ratio was only 20%, with more children enrolled in private schools.” The teachers, Bhalwalia noted, were overburdened with non-academic duties throughout the year, such as conducting dengue and polio campaigns, house hunting, and census activities.

Rana Liaquat, the central secretary general of the Punjab Teachers Association, strongly condemned the privatisation policy, calling it "disastrous". He pointed out the irony that despite government schools achieving excellent matriculation results this year, these are being sold off, which is "shameful". Liaquat accused the government of wanting to abandon both education and healthcare.

He emphasised the need for immediate new recruitments and urged all political parties to formulate a 20-year national education policy to increase education literacy rates. “If this is not done, parents will stop enrolling their children in government schools or reduce them to a minimum in the next few years,” he warned.

Basharat Iqbal Raja, the district president of the Punjab Educators Association, alleged that the government aimed to reduce the number of government schools in Punjab to only 10,000 to 15,000. He claimed that the government was deliberately destroying the education system, subjecting it to experimentation.