October 20, 2007	Saturday	Shawwal 7, 1428

DADU, Oct 19: Influential people are using primary school buildings for cattle pens and guest houses (Otaqs) and other purposes in far flung areas of the district. According to a survey conducted by the National Commission for Human Development {NCHD}, out of the total 2500 primary boys and girls schools in Johi, Mehar, Dadu and Khairpur Nathan Shah talukas, 400 are ghost schools. While, literacy rate is 34 per cent in this district and 74,000 children are without schools. The population of Dadu district is 1.1 million and over 300,000 population in the western belt of district is affected by the recent flood water of Balochistan and rain water of Kheerthar ranges mountains hence a big number of the schools are still occupied by flood affected people and they are using these buildings as their houses.

While most of the primary schools are functioning in the official records of the education department but physically these schools are closed as teachers are not performing their duties in the far- flung areas of Kachho and Katcho and they are paying Rs2000 to Rs3000 as bribe to their superiors to ensure uninterrupted payment of salary to them.

RAIDS: The regional director of the Sindh Ombudsman office recently paid surprise visit to different primary schools in taluka Dadu, and found three primary boys schools closed for years.

The Regional Director Ombudsman, Saeed Khan Mubejo, along with Mukhtiarkar of Dadu Mohammad Hussain Lund and a team of print and electronic media journalists raided Primary Boys School Rawat Leghari , Rab Rakhio, Essa Babar in Makhdoom Bilawal union council of Taluka Dadu, and found that school buildings were closed for the last many years and teachers were receiving salaries at their homes.

The building of Rawat Khan Leghari primary boy’s school was deteriorated, its front gate was locked and doors of rooms along with windows were completely destroyed. Only one bench was lying in a room.