HYDERABAD: A division bench of the Sindh High Court, Hyderabad circuit, on Wednesday asked the education secretary to ensure availability of information technology (IT) laboratories at all high schools in the first phase and at middle schools in the next phase.

The bench comprising Justice Salahuddin Panhwar and Justice Mohammad Iqbal Mahar also ordered all deputy commissioners in Sindh to ensure repair work without any delay at any school requiring necessary repairs and also ensure availability of wash room facility, boundary wall and furniture at girls schools and colleges on a priority basis.

The court directed commissioners to ensure that teachers performed their duties and that none of them or any government servant worked as journalist.

About complaints against teachers working as journalists or doing duties in a department other than his own, the education secretary informed the bench that a list of such employees had been prepared and necessary action would be taken against them.

He stated that at the division level, a three-member committee headed by the commissioner concerned would be formed to tackle the issue.

Education Secretary (schools) Dr Fazlullah Pechuho, Education secretary (colleges) Riaz Ahmed Memon and other officers of the department appeared in person before the bench and submitted their respective reports about compliance of earlier court orders.

The secretaries assured the bench that necessary facilities would be ensured at around 4,200 schools and there would be one high school each for boys and girls in every union council. The bench was informed that a summary for the establishment of girls and boys colleges with IT labs and wash room facility in every taluka would be floated.

Mr Pechuho stated that earlier there used to be a mechanism for the establishment of primary, middle, high schools and colleges. For eight years now, there is no concept of higher secondary school. He proposed fresh recruitment for higher secondary schools. The court directed the chief secretary to examine this aspect and ensure separate colleges having their separate buildings.

The secretaries stated that as far as the present petition, filed by Manzoor Hussain through Advocate Kanji Mal, was concerned, they had floated a summary for the establishment of a girls degree college in Khipro under the next annual development plan (ADP).

The court directed the education secretary to float a summary for a non-ADP scheme to look into the needs of the people of the areas. Pithoro and Khipro talukas are adjacent to each other yet even a girls high school is not there in Pithoro.

The secretary promised that he would submit a summary in this regard and ensure provision of two buses enabling students to travel from far flung areas.

The bench adjourned the case for two months.

Published in Dawn December 15th, 2016