November 04, 2007	Sunday	Shawwal 22, 1428

LARKANA, Nov 3: Sindh Ombudsman Yousuf Jamal said on Saturday that Education Department was on top of the list of corruption, adding that it was impossible for anyone to eradicate it completely.

Addressing a symposium titled ‘Village Assembly’ here on Saturday, he said the element of ghost schools figured high and recently the EDO Education Dadu was suspended and some officers transferred on the report of Regional Director Ombudsman Dadu on charges that the EDO appointed 567 persons against the strength of 273 and now it was the turn of Larkana.

Calling Ombudsman’s office a ‘mid-way house between judiciary and administration’ he said the drastic action came in after his report in the Sindh Text Book Board and thanked the Sindh Governor for the action. The corruption had a ‘national psyche’ and ‘characteristics’. Love, tolerance and accommodation was now history, he said and urged the stakeholders to play their role in correcting the ills. The Ombudsman Office planned to open more offices in districts to broaden service spectrum.

Ashfaque Memon, Secretary Provincial Ombudsman Office said according to 1988 Census, out of 3.5 crore population of Sindh, 40 lakhs male and five lakhs female were working. There was no standard of good governance, he said.

The District Nazim Muhammed Bakhsh Arijo said 88 schools were lying closed in Larkana and called for joint efforts to address the evils.

The Ombudsman ordered the Regional Director Larkana Office to submit report within three days. Prof S.M. Yusuf. Principal Cadet College Larkana said ‘we are fitting the misfits’ where the element of nepotism had crept into our society and double-standards coupled with corrupt practices had developed disrespect for merit.

Dr Sikandar Mughal, Vice Principal of Chandka Medical College Larkana identified feudalism as root-cause where peasants and villagers suffer at the hands of feudal. Abdul Razzak Soomro former ambassador to the UAE, Dr Sabhiya Mughal, Deedar Abbasi, Panjal Sangi, Dr Dur Muhammed Pathan also spoke on the occasion.