Ghostly horrors

Beyond issue of ‘ghost’ schools, issue of standards at functioning government schools also needs to be addressed.

The old issue of  ‘ghost’ schools in the country has come up once again. We have heard about such schools before, where no teachers teach, no children study and which have, in many cases, been put to use for other purposes. What is unfortunate is that through the years, despite much talk of  ‘ghost’ schools and inquiries ordered into their presence, such institutions continue to function.

The Supreme Court, hearing a petition filed regarding a school in Gujranwala where girls are forced to sit next to graves, has taken up the matter and ordered a judicial inquiry into ‘ghost’ schools and how to turn these into genuine places of learning. During the hearing, an NGO representative raised a terrifying scenario regarding ‘ghost’ schools in Sindh, a province where the largest number of such institutions operate. The Court was told of a high school in Ghotki, where only two teachers remained on the rolls while the rest were all on deputation. These two teachers dutifully attended the school twice a year. Naturally, the school then exists only on paper. Hundreds others just like it are believed to be scattered across the province.

The Court has asked why government schools have been permitted to fall into such disarray. Reports speak of some being used as cattle pens, others taken over by various groups including the Rangers. The decline in government schools has contributed immensely to the growth of madrassas and also deprived children in many places of acquiring anything resembling a decent education. It is vital that the matter be addressed. Beyond the issue of  ‘ghost’ schools, the issue of the standards at functioning government schools — the lack of basic amenities at many of them, the absence of teachers and the general indifference to the welfare of pupils, also needs to be addressed. It is important that the commission, made up of district and sessions judges, completes its findings and makes suggestions that can help remedy the situation and put things back on track.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 16^th, 2013.