ISLAMABAD – More teachers are required to improve the teacher-student ratio in government-run boys’ primary schools across the country as currently one teacher is available for every 35 enrolled students in these schools, says a report issued on Friday.
The Free and Fair Election Network (FAFEN), an alliance of civil society organisations prepared the report, which says the monitoring of 121 Government Boys Primary Schools in 77 districts, were conducted during November 2010.
The report said that FAFEN monitoring covered 52 schools in 29 districts of Punjab, 27 in 18 districts of Khyber Pakhtoonkhwa (KP), 32 in 21 districts of Sindh, eight in seven districts of Balochistan and two in two agencies of Federally Administered Tribal Area (FATA).
The report said that a total of 25,794 enrolled students in the observed 121 schools were being managed by 743 teachers, giving a nationwide teacher-pupil ratio of 1:35. The region-wise analysis presents a disparate picture as relatively high student-teacher ratios were observed in KP and Punjab where one teacher is attending to every 44 and 37 students, respectively.
The situation is relatively better in the provinces of Balochistan and Sindh where one teacher is available for every 27 enrolled students. However, the high teacher-student ratio in Punjab and KP may also be representing a higher level of student enrollment in those regions. Based on the data of two monitored schools, the teacher-ratio in FATA was very high where one teacher has to attend to 84 pupils.
“Transparency seemed to be an issue when collecting information about the appointment of teaching and non-teaching staff against the sanctioned posts. Twelve schools withheld information with regard to sanctioned teaching posts and 62 did not provide the required information concerning non-teaching staff. Across the country, an occupancy rate of 92% was recorded implying that around 8% of the teaching posts were vacant. Nationwide, around 8% of the sanctioned non-teaching posts were also unoccupied including 15% of those in Sindh and 7% in KP which calls for more appointments against the vacant sanctioned non-teaching posts, the report noted.
It said the percentages were notably low in terms of availability of key facilities like playgrounds and staff rooms. The playgrounds which are a must for any children’s school were absent in 70% of the monitored schools, depriving children of sports and other healthy outdoor activities.
In boys’ primary schools, the non-availability of sanitary workers, security guards and peons was also a concern. The need for such staff is important especially where on average 213 students are enrolled per school (2,5794 enrolled students in 121 monitored schools).
Teacher-pupil ratio – Report says one teacher available for every 35 students
