Efforts on to increase school enrolment by 0.8m

Headmasters given added responsibility to plant trees in institutions

KARACHI:

Sindh Education Minister Syed Sardar Ali Shah has announced that the target of increasing new admissions in Sindh in the current academic year is more than 800,000. He stated that it will be mandatory for headmasters to plant trees in schools, and this process will be the part of their duties.

The minister said that a target of more than 800,000 has been set in Sindh this year to increase the enrollment ratio, while ensuring community involvement to make the school enrollment system more effective. He expressed these views while speaking as a special guest during a programme organised by the Sindh Education Department at a private hotel in Karachi on Monday.

The theme of the programme was the 'Launch of Sindh Enrollment & Retention Drive 2024-25'.

Various proposals were presented regarding maintaining enrollment in schools in the province besides increasing the number of admissions. The education minister said that following the recruitment of teachers in Sindh, it has helped to meet the shortage of teachers, by which more than 7,000 schools have been opened and made functional.

The minister pointed out that 5.2 million children are currently enrolled in government schools in Sindh, four million in private schools, 927,000 in Sindh Education Foundation schools, and 57,000 in non-formal education schools.

According to the constitution, it is the responsibility of the state to provide free education to five to 16-year-old children. At this time, there is a great need for social cooperation due to a lack of resources and other challenges. The enrollment drive is going to start in Sindh from August 16, and all resources will be used to make this process effective.

The education minister said that the duties of the headmaster will not only include running the school, but also the responsibility of involving the community, especially from the enrollment of children to the continuation of the educational process in collaboration with the parents.