LARKANA, May 18: Local education department had failed to select sites for establishing 210 girls’ community schools in the district for which it was directed last year, said sources in the department.

The project of girls’ community schools was to be initiated in 2002 and 20 schools were to be established in its first phase, a source in the education department told this correspondent.

The chairman of the education committee of the district government, Amir Bakhsh Gaad, said that the Sindh government had allocated a huge amount to set up community schools for girls in areas where teachers were reluctant to serve.

He held the EDO, education, responsible for the failing to identify the school sites due which the project could not have been initiated.

District Nazim Khurshid Ahmad Junejo said that the district government had approached the education department in this connection time and again but to no avail.

He said that had directed the education department to undertake the project or face administrative action.

He said that local teachers were to be appointed in the schools for increasing literacy rate and providing job opportunities to educated youth of the district.

However, the EDO, education, Prof Shahnawaz Memon, rejected the charge Mr Gaad had levelled against him, saying that the district officer, education (elementary), was responsible for the failure of the project. He added that despite repeated reminders, the DO had made no effort to identify sites for the schools.

Another source in the education department said that the Sindh government had sanctioned around Rs3.9 million for establishing 80 more schools but the project had also not been undertaken.

BAN: District Nazim Khurshid Ahmad Junejo on Saturday imposed a ban on preparation and sale of ice balls and Kulfi in the district for one week.