Murad tells education dept to distribute textbooks before

Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah on Thursday chaired a meeting of the Sindh education department and instructed the department to ensure the distribution of 4,453,686 textbooks by August 14 and enhance education standards.

“The school education department must enhance enrolment by bringing out-of-school children to schools and introduce a school inspection system by checking teaching and learning methods,” the CM said.

The meeting was attended by Sindh Education Minister Syed Sardar Ali Shah, MPA Seema Khurram, Chief Secretary Asif Hyder Shah, Principal Secretary to CM Agha Wasif, Planning and Development Board Chairman Najam Shah, School Education Secretary Zahid Abbasi, College Education Secretary Asif Ikram, Finance Secretary Fayaz Jatoi, Sindh Textbook Board Chairman Aleem Lashari, Education Foundation Managing Director Kazi Kabir and others.

Murad said the schools in the province would reopen on August 15, therefore, the school education department must make necessary preparations to ensure the proper functioning of schools and distribution of textbooks.

He stressed the need for making a complete plan of the academic year, including preliminary/mock examinations. The education minister informed the CM that there were 40,991 schools in the province, including 36,203 primary schools, 15,575 middle schools, 1,051 elementary schools, 1,670 secondary schools, and 492 higher secondary schools. He stated that the province had 160,473 teachers, of whom 107,550 were male and 53,051 female.

The total enrolment in schools was reported to be 5,236,307, comprising 3,081,696 boys and 2,154,611 girls. The CM noted that the teacher-student ratio stood at 1:32 and called for quality teaching and engagement of students in curriculum activities.

The lack of communication and teaching skills among many teachers was also discussed at the meeting. It was proposed that teachers should be required to pass a teaching test every five years in order to continue their teaching careers.

Furthermore, the CM directed the education department to take measures to improve the education standards by introducing an inspection system. He stressed the importance of officials visiting schools, checking the teaching and learning procedures, and submitting inspection reports to address any shortcoming.

Highlighting the government's investment in good salary packages for teachers, the CM Sindh called for a focus on the quality of teaching and the teachers' dedication to shaping the future of students. He emphasised the need for adaptability and continuous evaluation of teaching methods.

To a question, Murad was told that in the current academic year 2024-25, 4,453,686 sets of textbooks had been printed. The CM directed the education department to start the distribution of the books and complete the process by August 14 so that the students could have their books by the start of their academic session.

The meeting was told that 19,808 schools needed to be rehabilitated. At this, the CM said the rehabilitation of 4,206 school buildings had been included in the Annual Development Programme (ADP) and the government had worked out a three-year plan to overhaul the remaining damaged school buildings.

The education minister said a total of 5,159 schools without shelters needed to be provided some cover. Murad said the issue of shelter-less schools was being addressed and the construction of 282 shelter-less schools had been included in the ADP. The remaining buildings would be built through the Sindh education department.

Sardar informed the CM that he was working to upgrade 36,203 primary schools to post-primary schools. He added that so far the school education department had upgraded 1,239 primary schools to post-primary schools.

The CM directed the education minister to upgrade all the primary schools to the elementary level so that dropouts could be reduced. The education minister said inspection committees had been formed for the implementation of a 10 per cent free ship in private schools.