Crumbling schools of thought

Sindh needs a new, radical vision for education. We need a solution that offers modern knowledge, skills to the young

For decades, there has been a tendency to blame poor parents for not taking interest in educating their children. Both temptation and threats have been advocated by policymakers as tools to influence their behaviour. Time and again, stipends, school nutrition and other similar programmes have been employed to increase student enrollment as well as enhance attendance and retention. The Sindh Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act of 2013, passed ahead of other provinces, recommends punishment for parents who fail to send children to school. One wonders as to why, despite various tactics undertaken, parents are still reluctant to enroll children in public schools? Apart from lack of awareness on the part of parents about the importance of education, there are other solid reasons behind this situation. Without addressing underlying causes, no measure would be effective in encouraging parents to send children to school.

First of all, what are the school buildings in Sindh like? The answer to this question is clear from last month’s incident that took place in district Tando Mohammad Khan. A student of class one, aged eight, died while some other students were injured when a wall of a school’s corridor collapsed in Qabool Pur village. So, can we force or persuade parents to send their children to unsafe and dangerous schools? After talking to some education department officials, I came to know that the school was built in 1960 and its building was recently declared dangerous. I think this is a case of criminal negligence. Why didn’t the authorities take action when the building was declared dangerous? According to the Sindh Education Managament and Information System, at present 65 students are enrolled in the school. May I request our honourable courts to take notice of the incident and bring responsible officials to book? Departmental inquiries are just an eyewash.

Unfortunately, a large number of schools like this one are in dilapidated and dangerous condition. Every year , the Education and Literacy Department of the Sindh government collects data on school infrastructure but doesn’t use any scientific methods. Instead of civil engineers assessing school buildings, data collectors use their judgment on the basis of external condition of schools. And in most of the cases this is done without visiting the schools. A majority of school buildings in the province were constructed during the 1980s. Repair and construction work in the subsequent years must have been done with substandard material, given the prevalent corruption in the department.

Moreover, the education department lacks a proper mechanism as well as a system to monitor the condition of schools on a regular basis. For example, no school has an asset management plan. This is essential considering that we are facing different challenges relating to climate change. With financial and technical support from USAID, the Sindh government is in the process of constructing 120 new schools in the flood-affected areas across the province. I hope these new schools would have these plans.

The poor conditions of schools, coupled with the poor quality of teaching, makes it difficult for us to win the confidence of parents, let alone convince them that their children will be competetive in the job market. Sindh needs a new and radical vision for education. We need to think of a solution that offers modern knowledge and skills to the young generation in order for it to succeed in life. It is sad to observe that the annual development budget is either underutilised or misappropriated. In order to curb inefficiency and misgovernance, the private sector should be involved in improving school infrastructure. Also, at least one modern school in each union council should be built, equipped with a hostel, playgrounds, science and computer labs, library and other facilities. The Sindh government should improve road networks to connect nearby villages so that the daily commute is safe and easy. Should we expect the young leaders of the PPP to bring about an educational revolution in Sindh?

Published in The Express Tribune, June 23^rd, 2015.

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