THATTA: Out of 3,226 girls and boys primary schools, more than 850 are closed in nine talukas of Thatta and Sujawal districts and those operational are also not up to the mark, Dawn learnt here on Tuesday.

These primary educational institutions identified as ‘closed schools’ are located in 55 union councils of talukas Thatta, Mirpursakhro, Mirpur Bathoro, Ghorabari, Kharochann, Shah Bunder, Keti Bunder, Jati and Sujawal.

According to facts compiled from the education department documents, it is due to negligence of the quarters concerned that academic career of some 180,948 children is at a stake and due to closure of these schools more than 50,000 students have been deprived of primary education.

An official of the district education department on condition of anonymity said education standard in the remaining operating schools was not up to the mark.

He said, despite hectic steps taken during a campaign jointly launched by the district judiciary and education department in recent months, nothing could be achieved positively.

Civil society, parents, socio political activists and the district and education department authorities seem to be blind folded on the subject.

In this connection, a number of donors from Islamabad and Karachi had tried to help the poverty-ridden population of these coastal district to get streamlined the primary education.

Published in Dawn, May 28th, 2014