Same game, same trick: New education minister rehashes old rhetoric

The minister plans to set up comprehensive schools in 23 districts.

KARACHI:

The feeling of déjà vu was overwhelming when the Pakistan People’s Party’s Nisar Ahmed Khuhro, during his first press conference after assuming the portfolio of provincial education minister on June 20, made the same promises that his predecessor had aimed to achieve.

The education minister in the last PPP-led government, Pir Mazharul Haq, back in 2008, had lamented the deteriorating state of public education, lack of primary facilities, poor infrastructure, poor quality of teachers and teacher absenteeism from schools.

Though revisiting the same problems facing the state of public education, Khuhro, appeared adamant. “There is always room for improvement and we wish to build on our last five years’ achievements,” he said.



The balance sheet he had, however, for these achievements was far from exciting.

While presenting statistics, Khuhro said that out of all 48,900 public schools across the province, around 91 per cent, or 44,500, are only primary-level schools, thereby, leading to a high drop-out rate after primary education. Only nice per cent of the remaining schools, around 4,400, have facilities to impart education till middle or secondary level, he added.

Many former education ministers had repeatedly talked about the upgradation of primary schools to secondary and higher levels to cope up with the drop-out issue, and Khuhro, too, had the same road map.

“Our first priority is providing basic facilities to all the primary schools, and once we will succeed in this endeavour, we will build on it. The plan to establish comprehensive schools in 23 districts that provide education from primary to secondary and higher levels under one roof will materialise,” he said.

Appearing inspired by the Punjab government’s ‘Danish schools’ endeavour, he said: “We will strive hard to uplift these kaale peele schools to the stature of Danish schools.”

He also endorsed Pir Mazhar’s plan to establish O’ and A’ level schools in each district. “In this time of competition, the government will set up Cambridge schools so that our children do not lag behind.”

Khuhro said that around 55 per cent of the provincial schools were devoid of electricity and over 49 per cent had no clean drinking water. Sanitation, he said, was another major issue as around 40 percent schools were without toilets and over 16 per cent schools are shelter-less.

Public-private partnership

Khuhro also encouraged private sector to join in as partners and share the government’s responsibility in providing free and compulsory education to all children between ages five and sixteen. “We will facilitate public-private partnership initiatives for the purpose of imparting education, while taking up the responsibility of expenses.”

Illegal appointments

On an ongoing internal inquiry over 30,000 alleged politically-influenced and fake appointments in the provincial education department during the last five years, Khuhro said that his party fulfilled its promise of providing jobs to the people of Sindh, however, the investigations into the appointment issue in each district will give transparency to the recruitment process.

Performance report sought

The education minister said that he had withdrawn the powers of the education departments’ assistant district executive officers until they submit a complete report about their past six-month performance and expenditure as well as their planning for the next six-months. “I have given them one-week time to submit reports, so that we can move forward after knowing the actual status,” said Khuhro.

Published in The Express Tribune, July 2^nd, 2013.