About 64 per cent of government schools, both for boys as well as those for girls, are without playgrounds in Rawalpindi District. This statistic was among the findings of a recent study conducted by Alif Ailaan, an alliance for education reform in the country.
“We should not be surprised to learn that government schools do not have playgrounds. We have seen the systematic destruction of government teaching, government schools, and government facilities in the last quarter century,” said Mosharraf Zaidi, Alif Ailaan’s campaign director.
According to the data, 984 primary schools — 456 girls and 528 boys — out of a total of 1,386 are lacking playgrounds.
Similarly, 188 middle schools out of a total of 317 do not have playgrounds, showing the Education Department’s negligence.
Around 49 per cent, 156 out of total 351 secondary schools and nine out of 33 public sector higher secondary schools lack playgrounds.
There are also schools that had open spaces that could have been used as playgrounds, but those spaces are now grabbed by land grabbers. Administration of over a dozen schools is pursuing litigation against the land grabbers for the last 18 years.
“We had a playground but it was taken over by land grabbers,” said Ayaz Satti, a teacher at Islamia Higher Secondary School No 1 Rawalpindi.
He said that a healthy brain was completely dependent on a healthy body and the latter was impossible without participation in extracurricular activities. Satti said a playground was an essential facility in a school.
Government High School Khayaban-e-Sir Syed Sector III has over 350 students, but no playground. “There is no playground in our locality or in our school, so where do we play?” asked Hammad Ali, a ninth grader.
The lack of playgrounds in public sector schools reflects the indifference of the department concerned towards the basic need of the students — play.
Though, there are specific periods for physical training of students, but due to unavailability of grounds, their teachers asked them to stay indoors.
“The lack of playgrounds has led to a shortage of sporting talent and downfall in various games in the country. Gone are the days, when Pakistan was world champion of hockey and one of the best teams in cricket,” said Raja Shahid Mubarak, a teacher in Government Elementary School Salkhter Murree.
Muhammad Bashir, a physical training instructor Islamia Higher Secondary School No 1 Rawalpindi, said 70 per cent of schools cannot arrange sports activities due to unavailability of playgrounds.
“It is mandatory for schools to organise sports competitions and ensure involvement of students in extracurricular activities,” he said.
A senior officer at the Rawalpindi Department of Education said high prices and shortages of funds make it impossible for the department to purchase land for playgrounds.
District Education Officer Qazi Zahoorul Haq and the education executive district officer could not be reached for comment.
Published in The Express Tribune, July 6th, 2014.
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