Chinese storm in a Sindhi cup

First they asked us to read Urdu. We did it obediently because Urdu is our national language. Then they asked us to read English. We did it obediently because English is among the top languages read and spoken internationally. And now they are asking us to read Chinese. We will do this as well, obediently, because China is emerging as a superpower. What we know is that they will never ask us to read and write our mother tongue – Sindhi – properly.
Teachers in Sindh have no command over their own mother tongue. How can they teach Chinese in schools? Of the 49,000 primary schools in Sindh, 42,000 are closed for one reason or the other. Innovations come only through learning local languages. They will not come from China by learning their language. First, the Sindh Education Department should try to reopen all closed schools and check teacher absenteeism. Also an informal education system is required for those students who have left school. The number of dropouts during the last three decades has touched around six million in Sindh. The province is now increasingly becoming an illiterate society. We have exhausted all our options for getting free and quality education. Female literacy rate in rural areas is more disturbing. Only five percent women have access to education. One hopes the Sindh government will pay attention to this very real problem.
Aijaz Ali Khuwaja
Karachi