LARKANA: Rallies were taken out and various other events were held in parts of Sindh on Thursday to observe International Literacy Day and highlight the importance of education.

In Larkana, the seminar was held by the Sindh Education Foundation (SEF) Larkana region, presided over by educationist, writer and Knowledge Centre founder Professor Mukhtiar Samo.

Speaking on the occasion he said corruption, lack of will, shifting of responsibilities and absence of interest in performing the assigned duties honestly caused loss to education in the country.

He regretted that despite all available provisions and tall claims, education progressed at a snail’s space in the province. The government should ensure enrolment of all children in schools and also check their dropout ratio.

Other speakers on the occasion included education officials of Larkana division, SEF representatives and community members.

They highlighted the purpose of the day and emphasized the government to double its efforts for increasing the rate of literacy in the province.

They further said lack of appropriate faculties in schools and absence of educational institutions in many villages were among many causes of low literacy rate in Sindh. They said education was the basic right of a child which should be given to him unconditionally.

It was regrettable that despite much spending on education as compared to past and other technical advancement in pedagogy, the rate of literacy was not increasing proportionally, they said.

Earlier, children of SEF schools from Larkana and Shikarpur presented tableaux highlighting the importance of education.

MIRPURKHAS: Rallies were taken out from the Municipal Complex to the local press club under the education department of Mirpurkhas, Sindh Education Foundation, Jagirta Organization and other such educational bodies.

Led by special adviser to chief minister inspection team Nadir Ali Khwaja, hundreds of officers of the local education department, SEF representatives, teachers, and girl and boy students took part in the rally. They marched through main roads and reached the local press club.

Later, speaking at a seminar held here at Bhittai Cultural Hall, Mr Khowaja said youths were the backbone of the nation and state.

Youths should receive education to play their vital role for the progress and prosparity of the country. On this occassion tableaux were also presented by girl and boy students.

UMERKOT: Some students staged a ‘Ehtejaji school’ at the local press club in protest against their deprivation at the hands of the Sind Education Foundation (SEF).

Students belonged to four schools running under the SEF which have been closed for want of funds.

They raised slogans against the schools’ closure.

Children were carrying slates which had nothing, but ‘Protest’ written on them.

On the other hand operators and officials of the Sindh Education Foundation (SEF) Umerkot took out a rally to create awareness among the masses to enrol their children in schools.

In 2009, the SEF had started schools under a public-private partnership with the funding of the World Bank. Its aim was to provide quality education to the underprivileged children who could not bear expenses of education in private schools.

Talking to reporters, one of the students, Wazeeran, said they had been studying in those four schools for five years, but since 11 months funds and books for the schools had been been stopped, depriving them the right of education.

Jan Muhammad Solangi, operator of all those four schools, said it was because of district officials of the SEF that his four schools had been closed, depriving 500 students of education. He alleged that district officials of the SEF had been extorting money in the name of official fee from each subsidy released to him from the foundation.

When he came to know that there was no any fees in this regard, he complained to high officials and refused to pay ‘the bribe’.

His refusal irritated the corrupt officials and they got his schools closed, he said.

MITHI: Rallies were taken out in various towns of the district on Thursday to mark the day.

The main rally was taken out in Mithi town in which students, teachers and local activists took part and urged people to send their children to schools to save the future generation from ignorance.

Addressing the rallies held separately, speakers deplored that Thar had lagged behind in the education sector, where literacy was declining day by day.

Rallies and other events were organised in Islamkot, Nagarpar­kar, Diplo, Chelhar, Chhachhro and other towns to mark the day.

Published in Dawn, September 9th, 2016