Punjab needs 19k new govt schools

Report blames lack of access for dropout rate

LAHORE:

Punjab is facing a shortage of government schools with 38,000 institutions available for a population of 130 million. According to a report of a non-governmental organisation, the Population Council, lack of infrastructure in the government schools and their unavailability are the top reasons of a high dropout rate.

The report declared that the province needs about 19,000 new schools during the coming 15 years and stressed that the Punjab government should allocate maximum funds in the coming budget to construct more schools.

While the increase in the population of Punjab has created many problems for the government, shortage of public sector schools has become a big issue that is hampering efforts to increase the literacy rate in the province.

The Population Council stated in its latest report that the shortage of government schools coupled with the population growth in the province is a matter of concern.

It highlighted the need of 19,000 new schools in the next 15 years to educate the millions of children.

While releasing the report, the council lamented a low budget for the children and demanded that the government should release ample funds for constructing schools and hospitals for them.

According to the report, there are 10 million children in the age group of five to 15 years out of school.

The population growth rate of the province is more than 2.5 per cent and the ratio demands that 19,000 more schools should be constructed in the next 15 years.

The teaching community is facing hurdles in bringing the out of school children to the government schools mainly because of the shortage of the institutions and lack of facilities.

A senior official of the Punjab School Education Department said there are about 38,000 government schools in the 36 districts of Punjab. Of them, 21,702 are primary, 7,200 middle, 8,000 high and 800 higher secondary schools. The official said the schools are facing a shortage of funds and facilities. Construction of new schools has not been a priority in a long period. The last new school in Lahore had been built in 2011.

He said there are many housing societies in Lahore and other cities where no government school is operating.

He said the government was pursuing the outsourcing of the government schools while ignoring the opposition to the policy by the teachers.

The official said the destitute people were suffering the most as there were 10 million children out of school who wanted to study but the government policies were not supportive for them.

Punjab Teachers Union Secretary General Rana Liaqat Ali, "It is evident that there is a need for more public sector schools and this is the reason that we took to the roads to oppose the outsourcing, but the government did not considered our concerns."

He added, "Now international NGOs have also highlighted the issue and demanded more government schools, so we request the government to consider the matter in the interest of the future generations.

He said not only schools but new government colleges and universities were also needed in Punjab.

The teachers' leader expressed hope that the government would give priority to school projects in the coming budget for Punjab.