May 6, 2005	Friday	Rabi-ul-Awwal 26, 1426

KARACHI, May 5: Sindh Chief Minister Dr Arbab Ghulam Rahim expressed dissatisfaction over the state of affairs in the education sector and said that it was high time for taking corrective measures. “Like a few other departments of the government, education and literacy department has also become harbour of corruption and incompetence”, he added saying that favouritism and commission systems should be rooted out and merit in appointments and admissions be observed.

He further mentioned that a foolproof monitoring should be given place, so that productivity of the department increased and quality of education was improved in the province.

He was speaking as chief guest at a ceremony, which was organized by the Sindh Textbook Board (STB) to mark the beginning of distribution of free textbooks among the students of class I to V of the government primary schools for the academic session 2005-6 throughout the province.

In all 3.4 million sets of books have been ordered by the districts, under a scheme introduced by the Sindh government some years back for supply of textbooks to primary school students free of charge.

Dr Arbab said that his government gave priority to the education sector, and knowing that it was suffering for long from many defects he had decided to hand over the portfolio of education and literacy department to Dr Hamida Khuhro as a challenge in view of her family background and her good reputation.

He mentioned that quarters at the helm of affairs should ensure changes and work with the sense that promotion of education was not less than worship, and there was no place for corrupt peoples in this sector.

“I believe in taking action against defaulters after giving them three warnings”, he remarked saying that those who want to continue in his team should have to deliver and work for a turnaround.

The chief minister noted that once the province of Sindh used to be number one as far as quality of education and rate of literacy was concerned, but now things were vice-versa. The government officials, teachers and students should realize about the position, he added and stressed the need for meaningful utilization of government funds, infrastructures and academic facilities.

He lamented over the fact that educational institutions buildings were being misused by different quarters either due to the absence of teachers and students or due to the unwise decisions made in regard to construction of school buildings in past.

Talking of corruption, he said that none of the students could get any relief under the government’s food programme, while trucks loaded with commodities meant for school children were sold in the market.

Our teachers do not find it obligatory to report at schools regularly as the officials supposed to check them were not discharging their duties honestly and were involved in corrupt practices, he said unequivocally.

Coming on to the deteriorating condition of school buildings, Dr Arbab said that those were not erected as per quality building standards, due to some greedy engineers of the government who mostly cared for their commission.

He said that government was taking measures to increase the enrolment at government schools, increased the womenfolk’s participation in the process of education, promoting literacy, teaching of English language and computer education.

The chief minister urged the officials to ensure that textbooks prepared under the free distribution scheme reached every student at government schools in time and not dumped at tehsil or union council offices, as reported in the past.

He gave away one set of books each to the five students belonging to primary schools of Karachi, Makli (Thatta), Hyderabad and Larkana.

Speaking on the occasion Sindh Education Minister Dr Hamida Khuhro said that the present government was making efforts to revamp the education system of Sindh on modern lines.

Dr Khuhro said that her department was planning to give free books to students up to Matric by next year.

She said that English would now be taught from first grade, while on the other hand with the help of federal and provincial governments computer classes were likely to be brought in at all levels of school education in the shortest possible time.

Speaking on the occasion, Education Secretary Mohammad Hashim Leghari said that an admission campaign be run to bring in new students to government schools in August, while on the other hand efforts should be made for in letter and spirit implementation of compulsory primary education laws in the province.

STB Chairman Abdul Aziz Mehranvi said that textbooks printed and published by the board were comparatively low priced and were within the reach of the common man. The free distribution of books would help reduce the burden on the parents who do not send their children in the schools due to poverty, he added.

He said that under the revised curriculum (2002), the STB had developed and implemented new textbooks in all subjects for classes I to VIII and Science books, including Physics Biology and Chemistry for Class IX.

The works pertaining to the textbooks in the subject of Science for class X along with other subjects for class XI and XII has also been take up and the books in question will be introduced, after the approval from federal education ministry, in the academic session 2006-7, he added.

Later talking to Dawn the chairman said that sets of books had been readied for delivery to different districts on different dates up to June 1. However, he feared that delivery of books to some of the districts and onward supply to lower levels could be delayed as the education officers were expressing reluctance in accepting the books due to the lack of storage facilities.

To another question, Mr Mehranvi said that supply of paper to private publishers would be started soon so as the textbooks for classes I to X for the market could also be released for the new academic session.