KARACHI, Oct 16: Majority of the girls’ higher secondary schools run by the government in the city operate with inadequate teaching staff, which ultimately leads to poor examination results and the dropping out of students as well.

Sources privy to the higher secondary school system said that most of the schools lacked subject specialists. Due to the government’s indifferent attitude towards these schools, the posts of specialized teachers in different subjects were lying vacant, said a higher secondary school teacher. He added that it was high time that the government started taking care of these schools created after huge expenditures, as loads of class XI and XII admissions at these schools had increased considerably during the last couple of years.

However, independent sources expressed the view that under the government’s Centralized Admission Policy, the intake of students had increased, but on the other hand a considerable number of students were also leaving schools in view of inadequate academic facilities.

According to an estimate, an average of 1,500 female students are admitted every year to first-year science and humanities classes at about a dozen higher secondary schools located in towns or rural areas of Karachi. Sixty per cent of all such schools do not perform up to the mark, added the source.

Most of the schools in question lack the required number of staff that includes technical and administrative staff. Some of the schools were also face shortage of furniture and other teaching-related facilities, the source added.

About 50 subject specialists, including that of mathematics, physics, English and chemistry, were required for immediate posting at the girls higher secondary schools in the city.

Referring to the new policy of compulsory IT education at first and second-year levels in colleges and higher secondary schools, a school teacher observed that the government should ensure installation of computers at higher secondary schools as well, otherwise students having paid Rs1,000 additional for IT education would feel cheated.

Meanwhile, an official at the district education office informed this scribe that competent authorities had been informed about the problems at higher secondary schools and which were under consideration.

The government is also taking measures regarding immediate supply of computers to ten secondary and higher-secondary schools in the city, added the official.

He informed that under a programme, at least two teachers from the schools, along with the respective school heads, would be trained in computers soon.