SHC seeks report on implementation of law on free education

The Sindh High Court (SHC) has directed the Sindh government to submit a comprehensive report with regard to certain education department’s projects and schemes for the implementation of the Sindh Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act 2013.

The direction came on petitions filed by rights activists and organisations seeking implementation of the 2013 law that makes it incumbent on the government to ensure free and compulsory education of children from age 6 till 16.

The Sindh advocate general (AG) sought time to place on record a comprehensive report with regard to the completion of certain projects having nexus with the court proceedings. The high court directed the AG to place on record a comprehensive report in four weeks.

Earlier, the SHC was informed that as many as 6,866 public schools across Sindh had been closed due to lack of teachers, while 7,974 schools were unviable.

The school education secretary informed the high court that the posts of 32,510 primary schoolteachers and 14,039 junior elementary schoolteachers were vacant in different districts of the province.

The bench was informed that the Sindh cabinet had approved an online policy for the transfers and postings of the teaching staff. According to this new policy, teachers would be allowed to be transferred only from the schools with a surplus teaching staff to the institutions with a shortage or complete lack of instructors.

The secretary said the process of reopening viable schools through the transfer of teachers from the schools where teaching staff was in excess was under way, and this would result in resuming educational activities at a number of schools in the province.

He also told the bench that the recruitment policy had been notified and advertisements for the recruitment of primary schoolteachers and junior elementary schoolteachers had been published in newspapers. He added that the recruitment of teachers would help reopen closed schools.

The secretary also informed the high court that the education department had completed the framework for implementing the law in letter and spirit. He said that various schemes were in progress to improve the infrastructure of public schools and funds had recently been allocated for the purchase of furniture.

He added that steps would be taken to improve the quality of education, curricula and textbooks, as well as governance and human resource management at the schools.

Regarding security of the schools, the secretary said the government was making efforts to provide foolproof security to all the public and private schools.