SHC moved for action to improve Sindh’s education sector

The Sindh High Court (SHC) was on Monday requested to direct the Sindh government to better the education sector and present reports concerning allocation of funds in the sector and their spending.

Petitioners Alamgir Khan and others maintained that Article 25-A ensures the right to free and compulsory education of all children from 5 years of age to 16 years but a unanimous syllabus was not being followed in public and private schools of the province.

They submitted that there were not enough middle and high schools in Sindh to meet the challenge of providing necessary education to all children. Citing a survey report, the petitioners added that around 6,000 government schools were dysfunctional, whereas the number of ghost teaching and non-teaching staff in the province is over 40,000.

They maintained that the Sindh government instead of reopening the 6,000 schools has planned to establish new schools with the help of non-government organisations by granting them Rs40 billion in the name of non-formal education and alternative learning policy, 2016, and a proposal to this effect has been sent to the provincial assembly for approval.

They added that the Sindh government claims to be making efforts to promote education in the province under the ‘education emergency’ policy, but the claims are complete eyewash as the education sector’s condition has only gotten worse.

The court was requested to pass appropriate orders for the betterment of education sector in Sindh and ensure provision of the constitutional right to education to every child for a better society to develop in future.