Ghost schools, dilapidated buildings tell a tragic tale in Sindh

THATTA: The future of education in Sindh seems to be in dire straits as dilapidated buildings, ghost schools, and closed government institutions point to negligence by the relevant authorities.

The situation remains so despite a significant amount of funds set aside for the education sector in the provincial budget.

Students in Ghorabari tehsil of Thatta district are facing uncertainty as their schools are at a risk of closure. Most government-run schools in the tehsil are in dilapidated condition, lacking boundary walls, roofs and basic facilities such as washrooms and potable water. Adding to the problem are unhygienic conditions at educational institutions. Besides, the tehsil’s schools also face a shortage of qualified and competent teaching staff.

Consequently, locals have registered multiple complaints with the higher authorities on the matter. However, that has not yielded any results leaving people believing that officials have turned a blind eye to the problem.

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Waris Ghafoor, a local activist who lives in Garho Town, said, “We had a middle school for girls constructed [here] in the late 1970s. Now it is used for weddings and other private programmes.”

In Garho Town, government-run primary schools and colleges are marred by severe problems.

“At times there is a school’s building, but it lacks proper teaching staff and requisite facilities, which ultimately renders a school non-functional,” a Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) activist Jan Mohammad Rano told The Express Tribune. “In other cases, where there is teaching staff, children study under the open sky because the school building is under construction.”

Similarly, a government primary school for boys was built in the area in 1956 but it is without a roof to date.

“We have around 185 students and two teachers at the school that remains roofless,” Rano lamented. Locals recently wrote to the education minister to highlight the situation, he added.

Meanwhile, people of the district complain that the PPP, which leads the provincial government in Sindh, nominates outsiders instead of area locals to contest elections in the constituency.

“In 2013, Owais Muzaffar Tappi, the stepbrother of PPP co-chairperson Asif Ali Zardari won the provincial assembly seat PS-78 from here. In 2018, Ali Hassan Zardari bagged the seat. Despite our efforts, both did not meet us to listen to our problems,” decried Ahmed Ali Khasheli, a retired government employee who lives in the town. The government has approved the construction of a degree college in the town but there is no lecturer to teach there, added Khasheli.

According to education activist, Professor Liaquat Mirani, the total outlay of the provincial education budget was increased from to Rs244.5 billion in the current fiscal year from Rs212b allocated the previous year. Nothing but a lack of will on part of the provincial education department has hampered improvement of education in the area, he said. Commenting on the matter, Thatta District Education Officer Muhammad Rahim Soomro said that development work was “disturbed” due to inquires initiated by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB).

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“NAB is probing cases related to around 100 schools, which has created panic among contractors and government officials. [As a result] they have stopped development work,” he said, adding that the work would be resumed soon after a decision is made in the inquiries.

When asked about reports pertaining to shortage of teachers at schools, he said, “We have conducted an assessment and will appoint [more] teachers soon.”

The Express Tribune tried to approach Sindh Education Minister Saeed Ghani and Ali Hassan Zardari multiple times but they were not available to comment.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 8th, 2021.