Brutal conditions

In most primary schools across District Dadu, there is a serious shortage of water, electricity and even furniture. In many schools, there are no support staff, so teachers or students themselves have to fetch water. How can children as young as 4 to 7 years old be expected to sit in school for more than five-and-a-half hours without water or fans, especially in the scorching heat? Just yesterday, I passed by a government school in Johi. I met a group of students who were returning to school in the middle of the afternoon.

When I asked them what was going on, they told me their school had no water for the last few days and they went to drink some water to stay hydrated. I have also seen schools in rural Dadu where children sit on the floor, or five to six students share a single bench. There is no electricity, no fans and no comfort, just children trying to learn in very hard conditions. I urge the steering committee to provide immediate relief in the form of water tanks, solar fans and support staff to all schools

Fahad Rind

Johi