KARACHI, Aug 21: Despite regulations and clear directives by the provincial education department, most of the private educational institutions, both in rural and urban areas of Sindh, lack lab equipment, playgrounds, libraries, transport facilities and teaching kits.

According to a report compiled by the Sindh Education Department, out of 6,457 private educational institutions in Sindh, only 48 institutions in rural areas offer facilities of science and computer labs to their students.

Only 358 private institutions, including those which offer under and post-graduate degrees in rural Sindh, have playgrounds, whereas 1,620 institutions in urban areas of the province have playgrounds or other recreational areas within their premises, the report says.

The number of private institutions having libraries is 127 in rural areas, while 2,153 institutions in urban areas have libraries within their premises, while only 11 rural and 76 urban private educational institutions provide the hostel facilities.

To hold seminars, workshops and other extracurricular activities, around 1,499 private institutions have halls or auditoriums at their premises, including 44 in rural areas and 1,455 in urban areas, the report reveals.

Nearly half of the private institutions in the urban areas of the province do not provide teaching kits for reading to the students.

The report reveals that a majority of the institutions have failed to provide sports facilities for indoor games, as only 731 institutions in the urban areas have halls for games, whereas only 33 institutions established in rural areas offer the sports facility to the students.

In the rural areas of the province, only 37 private institutions provide the facility of audio-visual labs to their students, while in urban areas this facility is available at only 1,983 private institutions.—PPI