KARACHI: Sindh Chief Minister (CM) Syed Murad Ali Shah has said that Sindh Madressah Board established in 1885 by Khan Bahadur Hassanally Efendi is one of the oldest and prestigious boards which has worked hard for the promotion of quality education, particularly in the backward and rural areas of Karachi.
This he said on Tuesday while talking to their delegation led by Mazharul Haq Siddiqui, Shafiq-ur-Rehman Paracha, Ashfaq Memon, Hakeem Baloch, Dr Shaista Effendi, Akram Baloch and Hanif Baloch.
He decided to involve them in the promotion of education, particularly on public-private partnership mode. The SM Board is already working with the government and the chief minister wants to further strengthen partnership with them.
Mr Shafiq Paracha and Ashfaq Memon briefing the chief minister said that they had eight educational institutions which were taken over by the government. These institutions include SM Lyari School, SM Girls School, SM Arts College, SM Science College, SM Law College, SM B Fatima Jinnah Girls Secondary school, SM Commerce Intermediate College, SM Commerce Degree College, SM Science Degree College, SM B Girls Primary School and SM B Fatima Jinnah Girls College.
The SM Board requested the chief minister that their administration of these schools may be transferred to them. At this, the chief minister said that the government can work with SM Board in a public-private partnership, particularly the schools which were the property of the board and for other schools.
Mr Shah directed Secretary Education (schools and colleges) to scrutinize the request made by the SM Board and report him. “I am quite satisfied that the SM Board has established good schools in rural areas of Karachi,” he said and added the worth mentioning was Quaid-e-Azam Public School, Darsano Chano.
Mr Paracha told the chief minister that Quaid-e-Azam Public School was initially started by SM Board from primary level and now it has become a higher secondary school. He said that SM Board has established a senior student hostel for the students coming from rural areas of the province.
Mr Ashfaq Memon said that at present the SM Board was running eight schools in rural areas of the Karachi and their enrolment and standard was up to the mark. He added that SM Board was also managing 35 closed schools of the government where 9000 students were receiving a quality education.
The chief minister on the request of the SM Board said that the board would be given more land in Education City. The board has already purchased 200 acres in the city where their Quaid-e-Azam School was functioning.
Shah approved the establishment of the Endowment Fund for Sindh Madressah so that poor students could get scholarships and other facilities such as hotel and other facilities. Shah urged the SM Board to work in the teacher training programme. “I want to establish a top-class Teachers Training Academy in which SM Board support and participation would be required,” he said.
The chief minister told the board that he would visit their school very soon to witness their educational activities where were being lauded all over Sindh.