Farmers destitute, schools emptying: Rashid

Awami Muslim League (AML) chief and former Interior Minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmed on Tuesday said that farmers in Punjab have been left destitute, while educational institutions in urban areas are rapidly emptying as families struggle with poverty, inflation and unemployment.

Speaking to the media after a court appearance, he said that although 60 schools, colleges and universities were established in the city during previous administrations, these institutions are now witnessing a sharp decline in enrolment.

Only 40% of students remain, he claimed, while parents have withdrawn nearly 60 per cent of boys and girls from schools and colleges due to financial hardship.

"Because of inflation and poverty, parents are increasingly forced to pull their children out of educational institutions. In colleges and universities, the number of teachers now exceeds that of students," he said. He urged parents, particularly, to re-enrol their daughters in educational institutions.

On the occasion of Shab-e-Barat, Sheikh Rashid appealed to the government to take immediate measures for the welfare of farmers, stating that Pakistan's farming community had been severely affected and virtually ruined.