KARACHI, Nov 13: The city government’s education department has decided to conduct a census of private schools in the city in order to ascertain the exact number of primary class students enrolled in these institutions.

Sources in the education department said that educational supervisors at the union council level had been asked to visit the private schools and get data on a proforma prepared by the government.

The step is being taken to ensure implementation of the compulsory primary education in all the 18 Towns.

According to government data, 18 per cent of the country’s population fell in the age group of 5 to 9 years, which is considered to be the standard category for primary school education. However, in the absence of any correct and specific data on primary school enrolment, it can not be said that how much of the population between the age of 5 to 9 years are taking primary school education.

Data pertaining to government primary schools and enrolment are available with the government, but in the case of private school efforts made in the past by different quarters could not prove meaningful.

The sources said that the government data mostly reflected the state of affairs in the government schools and not that of the privately-run institutions. They pointed out that private schools had been reluctant in providing exact information about enrolment and other facilities to the government staff, as they believed that the data could be used for other purposes too.

Keeping in view the apprehensions of the private schools, it was decided at a meeting held with EDO (education) Prof Rais Alvi recently that male and female education supervisors would visit private schools and hand over a very simple proforma to the owner or administrator or other concerned at each school, with a request that the proforma duly filled should be returned to them as early as possible.

The supervisors would not enquire about anything outside the proforma. “We want just the school’s name and its owner, number of classrooms, status of the school-building (whether it is rented or owned by the school sponsor) and a class-wise enrolment of students up to class VIII,” said a senior education officer.

“Only after collecting the data pertaining to primary schools in private and government sectors we can head towards a 100 per cent primary school enrolment,” the official added.