SHC wants standards improved so that all prefer govt schools over private schools

The Sindh High Court (SHC) has directed the provincial government to improve the standard of education at public schools so that 8 million students opted to join government schools.

The direction came on a lawsuit with regard to supply of school furniture to government schools in Mirpurkhas and Sanghar. A single bench of the high court comprising Justice Salahuddin Panhwar observed that it had come on record that 4 million students were out of schools while 5.8 million others were studying in the public sector under the education department, including the Sindh Education Foundation.

The high court observed that 4 million students were getting education in private schools, which meant that presently 8 million students were out of government schools. The bench observed that it was prima duty of the government to bring well caliber education into their system so that these 8 million students opted to join government schools. The high court observed that it was duty of the government to bring these 8 million students into their education system under the Article 37 of the Constitution and Compulsory Education Act, 2013.

The SHC observed that the situation of education system was very alarming. It directed the government to initiate all efforts on a war footing by taking all modes permissible under the law to ensure that the nuisance of illiteracy was removed and every child got education.

School Education Secretary Dr Shereen Mustafa submitted that the education department would take every effort in order to bring these 4 million children into the government education system.

She said such an exercise would include enhancing the capacity of existing schools and repairing schools damaged in recent floods, as well as working through public/private sectors by handing over the schools preferably through the SEF to the reputable NGOs.

The secretary submitted that the department would submit a consolidated report with regard to availability and unavailability of furniture in the schools on the next hearing.

The plaintiff’s counsel submitted that the plaintiff was not awarded contract of 16,000 school desks in the Mirpurkhas region and he would be satisfied if the desks provided by the other contractor shall be examined by committee to ascertain whether they were according to the specification provided in the tender or otherwise. He said the plaintiff would not insist on further proceeding the case if the contractor had been able to provide 16,000 desks as stipulated in the contract.

The high court directed the Mirpurkhas region director schools along with the contractor, additional director planning, plaintiff as well as a judicial magistrate to inspect the majority of the desks, examine their quality, and submit reports. The SHC directed the education department to submit a compliance report by January 10.

It is pertinent to mention that the SHC had also taken exception to the dilapidated conditions of schools buildings in Sanghar and Mirpurkhas districts and ordered that if any student received any injury in the buildings of middle, high and higher secondary schools due to negligence in construction work, there shall be a criminal case against the respective executive engineer as well as the contractor.