Only 9,000 government schools in Sindh out of 50,000 are “proper” educational institutions in terms of buildings and facilities while 50 percent of the 150,000 teaching staff employed are (practically) those who failed their matriculation examinations. A majority of the remaining staff is working part-time jobs, including journalism, revealed administrative head of the Sindh Education Department, Naheed Durani on Thursday while replying to different questions of Sindh Assembly’s Public Accounts Committee members.
The PAC meeting, presided over by its Chairman Jam Tamachi Unnar was held to review the audit report of the Education Department’s accounts of years 2006-07 to 2008-09.
Appointments of teachers on political grounds, political interference in transfers and posting of teaching staff, construction of ghost and ill-planned schools buildings, irregular attendance of teachers, corruption, and postings of non-technical staff on technical posts were said to be major reasons behind destruction of public-sector education in the province.
Drawing a drastic picture of Sindh’s government schools and colleges, Education Secretary Durrani told PAC members that out of 50,000 government schools, some 41,000 schools cannot be considered as proper educational institutions since these are either one-room schools or operating in Chapra. According to her, education standards in the remaining schools have also declined due to teachers’ inefficiency and absence.
Durrani astonished PAC members by telling them that out of 150,000 teachers working in these schools, some fifty percent are (practically) have not passed their matriculation examinations since they are unable to teach children. She said that a majority of remaining teaching staff did regularly attend schools as most of them do other part time jobs, including journalism.
Talking about government-run colleges, Durrani said that the situation in colleges was also not different to that of schools. Education is the worst-affected in colleges due to political interference, she said, arguing that out of a total of 260 colleges in the province, some 100 colleges are functioning without staff. Most of the teaching and non-teaching staff often use their political connections to get themselves transferred to other colleges for their convenience.
She said that most of the subject specialists college teachers, especially of Mathematics, English, and Physics are either incompetent or irregular, as the majority of students have no know-how about these subjects even after completing their college education. She went to say that even college administrators are appointed on political influence without taking into account if they are able to run administrative affairs or not.
Durrani also complained that political influence has made bureaucrats such as EDOs and AEDOs either powerful or negligent in official working. She cited the example of an AEDO (Education), who she had summoned to inform that she wanted to visit a school in his area. However, the AEDO he did not take her seriously. Despite his poor response, she added, when she went to visit the school, she found that only 50 children were present out of total 150 enrolled.
The Education secretary also informed PAC members that governmental grants given to schools run by institutions such as the Army don’t provide any benefit to the children of the poor. “Only children of upper-class or middle-class families can get admitted to schools such as the Army Public School. The government should either stop these grants or make them contingent on enrolment of children from [poor families of the areas where these schools are situated,” she said.
The PAC members also supported the suggestion, and assured the Education secretary that it would also write a letter to the Sindh chief minister (CM) with the same recommendations. Expressing his concern over the standard of education and deteriorated situation of government schools, PAC Chairman Jam Tamachi suggested that the government should auction schools which are non-functional. He said that these schools are being used as godowns and Otaqs of influential people of these areas.
Earlier, the PAC recommended to the Sindh CM and governor to take action against those involved in embezzlement of funds of education department’s projects.
