KARACHI, March 10: Sindh Minister for Education Irfanullah Khan Marwat said on Monday that the government will soon introduce a bill in the assembly to effectively regulate the working of private schools.
Speaking at a press briefing, the minister said that in view of the increasing number of complaints about fee structure, books, curriculum, remuneration of teachers and other facilities including building structures, he personally felt that there was a need for fresh legislations in the case of private schools.
He said that even the latest ordinance in regard to the working of the private sector educational institutions failed to address some issues of great concern.
However, he admitted the overall role of private sector in promotion of education in the province and pointed out that the government would extend assistance to the sector in streamlining the working of private schools.
The press briefing was held to launch the Sindh education profile 2001 (government schools and colleges), prepared by the Sindh Educational Management Information System (SEMIS). Secretary Education Nazar Hussain Mahar and Director Research, Management, Evaluation System, Prof Ilyas Soomro, were also present.
According to the SEMIS data, out of the 13.71 million population in the age group of 4 to 20 years in the province, the government sector institutions enrolled 3.23 million (about 24 per cent). The number of closed schools, as mentioned in the official data updated for 2001, stood at 5,732.
The minister said that the number of closed schools had decreased since the preparation of last school census report.
He said that the government was taking extensive measures to ensure the maximum utilization of its educational facilities and improve the standard of education in government schools.
To a question, he said that the education department, under its move for the maximum utilization of educational facilities, wanted to get some of the educational buildings vacated by rangers.
“We have already requested the home department to look into the matter and ensure an earliest shifting of the rangers from a number of educational institutions in the province.”
Though the ministers did not give an exact number of educational buildings under the use of the rangers, the number stood at around 20, including 4-7 in Karachi.
Referring to the reported misuse of government funds by some of the school/college management committees, the minister said that the government was devising a monitoring system afresh, involving government officials, community members and media people.
“Funds under different heads are provided to the district governments for onward disbursement and utilization, but at the same time it is the responsibility of the Sindh government to ensure correct utilization of the fund,” he said, adding that the overlapping of responsibilities had also confused the working.
Referring to the establishment of schools at wrong location under political expediencies, irregularities in the textbook board, transfers and postings and other developments related to the education department, Mr Marwat said that the new government wanted to bring transparency and openness to such dealings, but at the same time it understood that things could not be changed overnight.
“It would take time to rectify the damages done in years,” he remarked.
To a question about shortage of lecturers in colleges, he said that it was an undeniable fact but at the same time the education department was helpless.
The Sindh Public Service Commission for the last one year has been unable to proceed on the appointments.
On the other hand, he added, the government was also initiating lifting the ban on appointments in the education department.
He said that the promised amount of Rs611 million for the year, under the education sector reforms, could not be released to the Sindh government as there was a confusion in its disbursement.
The federal government is of the view that the amount be released by the district governments which, according to it, receive the amount as part of the money being paid to them in lieu of octroi and export taxes.
However, in the wake of recent meetings between the provincial and the federal governments, the minister hoped that the federal government would release the fund before the end of the ongoing fiscal year.
