Education for all

In an attempt to decrease the number of out-of-school children, the Sindh government has taken quite a few steps to enrol as many students as it can on a priority basis. However, the provincial government is focusing on temporary solutions. Also, the haste shown by the authorities has created more difficulties. Now, most government schools in Sindh have between 150 and 200 students in each classroom. Will such a big number of students allow teachers to create a healthy learning environment? Definitely not! Increasing the number of students in classrooms is not the way forward to tackle the problem of out-of-school children. Large classes have their own set of problems: between four and five students are made to sit on a three-seat bench, making it difficult for students to concentrate on classwork; overcrowded classrooms create discipline issues, and a teacher’s precious time is wasted on resolving conflicts; also, it becomes impossible for teachers to provide feedback to students or to have sessions with students who need extra help.

The government needs to take the following steps to improve the education system in the province: building well-equipped classrooms, opening the schools that were closed for no reason, establishing new schools and increasing the number of teachers. The maximum number of students per class should be set at 40.

M Ilyas Kalhoro

Larkana