Ghar Aya Ustad: Teachers claim govt failed to achieve enrolment target
Education director says 0.35m children enrolled in first phase of campaign
PHOTO REUTERS
PESHAWAR:
The Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa government has fallen short of achieving its target of enrolling 0.8 million children at the primary school level across the province, say teachers associated with the drive.
According to primary schoolteachers, only 0.2 million children who were out of school have been enrolled under a recent enrolment drive initiated between April 8 and April 30 in the province titled Ghar Aya Ustad. However, senior officials in the K-P elementary and secondary education department have refuted this claim, saying almost 50% of its target has been achieved.
The provincial government with the support of a group of NGOs had launched the enrolment campaign in early April. During its launch ceremony on April 8, K-P Minister for Education Muhammad Atif Khan had vowed to enrol 0.8 million children at schools across the province and assured that officials of the relevant department would oversee all arrangements in this regard. Moreover, he had appealed to primary teachers to enrol a maximum number of children who were out of school.
However, teachers from various districts have voiced reservations about how effective the campaign has been.
“We haven’t seen a single education department official ever since the campaign was launched,” a teacher at Government Primary School Tehkal told The Express Tribune.
According to him, the campaign has failed to achieve its desired purpose because education department officials have not shown interest in the campaign and schools lack basic facilities.
“In the urban areas of Peshawar, where schools have many facilities, between 20 and 25 children have been enrolled,” he said. “However, only five to six students have been enrolled in the rural areas of the city.”
On the backburner?
Another primary schoolteacher from Mardan, who requested anonymity, said a few days after the government launched the campaign, the matter was brushed under the carpet.
According to the schoolteacher, a majority of primary schools in Mardan district do not have basic facilities.
“The government has enrolled 180 children at my school without taking into account the fact that we don’t have water, toilet and electricity facilities,” he said. “If there are no desks for students, they are forced to sit on the floor.”
All Primary Teachers Association President Malik Khalid Khan said the enrolment drive can only be successful if the government takes it seriously.
“The lack of interest taken by education department officials is the main reason why results have not been achieved,” Khan said. “In the 22 days since the campaign began, nearly 0.2 million children have been enrolled and all arrangements have been made by NGOs and primary schools’ teachers.”
According to the association’s president, teachers in some areas tried to enrol hundreds of children. “However, it hasn’t been easy to accommodate all of them due to lack of facilities at schools,” he added.
Khan urged the government to primarily provide facilities at schools and then concentrate on enrolling children.
The other view
Amid criticism from schoolteachers, K-P Elementary and Secondary Education Director Rafique Khattak has clarified that the department has been actively involved in the campaign and has achieved nearly 50% of its targets.
“We have enrolled 0.35 million children,” he said. “The campaign has been divided into two phases. So far, we have completed the first phase and plan to embark on the second phase in September.”
Published in The Express Tribune, May 3rd, 2015.
The Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa government has fallen short of achieving its target of enrolling 0.8 million children at the primary school level across the province, say teachers associated with the drive.
According to primary schoolteachers, only 0.2 million children who were out of school have been enrolled under a recent enrolment drive initiated between April 8 and April 30 in the province titled Ghar Aya Ustad. However, senior officials in the K-P elementary and secondary education department have refuted this claim, saying almost 50% of its target has been achieved.
The provincial government with the support of a group of NGOs had launched the enrolment campaign in early April. During its launch ceremony on April 8, K-P Minister for Education Muhammad Atif Khan had vowed to enrol 0.8 million children at schools across the province and assured that officials of the relevant department would oversee all arrangements in this regard. Moreover, he had appealed to primary teachers to enrol a maximum number of children who were out of school.
However, teachers from various districts have voiced reservations about how effective the campaign has been.
“We haven’t seen a single education department official ever since the campaign was launched,” a teacher at Government Primary School Tehkal told The Express Tribune.
According to him, the campaign has failed to achieve its desired purpose because education department officials have not shown interest in the campaign and schools lack basic facilities.
“In the urban areas of Peshawar, where schools have many facilities, between 20 and 25 children have been enrolled,” he said. “However, only five to six students have been enrolled in the rural areas of the city.”
On the backburner?
Another primary schoolteacher from Mardan, who requested anonymity, said a few days after the government launched the campaign, the matter was brushed under the carpet.
According to the schoolteacher, a majority of primary schools in Mardan district do not have basic facilities.
“The government has enrolled 180 children at my school without taking into account the fact that we don’t have water, toilet and electricity facilities,” he said. “If there are no desks for students, they are forced to sit on the floor.”
All Primary Teachers Association President Malik Khalid Khan said the enrolment drive can only be successful if the government takes it seriously.
“The lack of interest taken by education department officials is the main reason why results have not been achieved,” Khan said. “In the 22 days since the campaign began, nearly 0.2 million children have been enrolled and all arrangements have been made by NGOs and primary schools’ teachers.”
According to the association’s president, teachers in some areas tried to enrol hundreds of children. “However, it hasn’t been easy to accommodate all of them due to lack of facilities at schools,” he added.
Khan urged the government to primarily provide facilities at schools and then concentrate on enrolling children.
The other view
Amid criticism from schoolteachers, K-P Elementary and Secondary Education Director Rafique Khattak has clarified that the department has been actively involved in the campaign and has achieved nearly 50% of its targets.
“We have enrolled 0.35 million children,” he said. “The campaign has been divided into two phases. So far, we have completed the first phase and plan to embark on the second phase in September.”
Published in The Express Tribune, May 3rd, 2015.