Ravaging education in Sindh dailytimes.pk/default.asp?date=7/7/2013 Sir: My friend Mushtaque Rajpar, a writer of good repute and also a development expert, seemed impressed with the Sindh education minister’s recent talk about the abysmal state of education in Sindh. This is a first good step for rectifying any maladies. The second step would be to take practical action to remove all roadblocks. However, if the past is any guide, the optimism and euphoria of my friend seems destined to be short-lived. The PPP in Sindh politicised education and now this sector stands extremely ravaged. The appointment of teachers and misuse of education funds broke all past records during the last five years. The senior education minister of the last PPP government took action against the teachers who were also working as journalists and reporters in assorted media groups in a clear attempt to debar them from reporting on the worsening state of education in the province. Later on, he announced a general amnesty for the suspended teachers-cum-journalists. On the other hand, in Johi, almost all working journalists were appointed as teachers by the executive district officer (EDO) and, since their appointment, none is performing his/her duty as a teacher. In Sindh, 80 percent of the teachers are not performing their duties, the supervisors are not monitoring the schools, district education officers are not sitting in their offices and a majority of them have established their dens in private buildings to run the business of amassing wealth for themselves and, purportedly, for their masters who appointed them. Promotions of officers with fake degrees are taking place and this has an enormously demoralising impact on those teachers who perform their duties with full dedication and share the burden of absentee teachers. According to media reports, in one district, for 3,954 students, 67 teachers were appointed. The majority of the teachers have built straw shelters to show as schools to save their jobs. Enrolment was fabricated and edible oil and other food items were bought in the name of these ghost pupils from the UN World Food Programme and other humanitarian agencies. According to the head of the AWARE organization, teachers of these schools are drawing regular salaries without performing their duties. Would the present education minister clean this mess and bring all those to book who have played havoc with the education sector in Sindh? GULSHER PANHWER Johi
Posted on: Sun, 07 Jul 2013 13:09:07 +0000
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