THATTA: Speakers at a seminar titled ‘Local bodies and future of education’ held successive governments, the bureaucracy and absence of local bodies responsible for the constant decline in the standard of education at primary level. They expressed the hope that local bodies would play an effective role in promoting the cause of education in Sindh.

Presided over by former Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) lawmaker Ghulam Qadir Palijo, who is now a councillor-elect from Jangshahi, the seminar was organised by Alif Ailaan and another non-governmental organisation serving as its implementing partner. A number of education stakeholders including academics as well as the councillors-elect and chairmen/vice chairmen-elect of various local bodies in making attended the seminar held at the Polytechnic College in Makli on Tuesday.

Mr Palijo told the audience that Thatta district was once known for its high standards of education it maintained but it had now descended to No.23 among the country’s districts.

Mr Palijo, believed to be a favourite for the slot of Thatta district council chairmanship, said that the 18th constitutional amendment had empowered local bodies to take appropriate measures for improving the falling standard of education within their respective jurisdiction. As such, he added, they were supposed to promote education and do whatever they could to meet the prescribed standards in this sector.

He suggested that committees comprising councillors at UC level could be constituted to monitor the situation and help improve the entire system.

Mr Palijo was of the view that successive governments neglected this most important sector which contributed to the deteriorating standards of eduction across the province, particularly lower Sindh, over the past two decades.

He said the new local bodies should facilitate education department’s schemes in order to ensure proper teaching and other facilities at schools and other educational institutions. He stressed the need for upholding merit in recruitment of teachers as well as bureaucrats overseeing these institutions.

Academic Dr Mohammad Ali Manjhi, who is the principal of the Govt Degree College, Makli, told the audience that competent teachers were very much available at the public sector schools but a proper academic environment was missing in most cases. He said such teachers were unable to discharge their professional duties efficiently due to interference on the part of influential people, including politicians, in the education process. These influential people had different motives for interference, he added.

Parents of students and elected representatives should join hands with academics to cope with the situation so as to improve the system and make students’ future bright, he stressed.

Dr Manjhi also underlined the need for taking advantage of the biometric system being introduced in the education department.

Taluka education officer Noor Serai, Shafique Arain, Rehmatullah Bilal and some participants in the seminar were of the concerted view that recruitment of teachers in 1985 without considering merit caused the worst-ever damage to education and its effects were being felt till date. They referred to reports regarding ‘sale’ of blank appointment letters to the seekers of teaching job in those days.

Belonging to the PPP, they vowed to bring about a visible positive change in the overall academic environment in Thatta and Sujawal districts in coming years.

Members-elect to the Thatta district council Abdul Khalique Soomro, Rasool Bux Jakhro, Nazir Jakhro, Mohammed Khan Brohi and Thatta Press Club president Mehboob Brohi also spoke at the seminar.

Published in Dawn, December 9th, 2015