AT a recent rally in Hyderabad, the scion of the Bhutto family condescendingly admitted that there is always room for improvement. I wonder if he has ever looked at the regular reports that are produced about the consistently falling standard of school education, especially in rural areas of Sindh, despite a 10-fold increase in the budget allocation since 2010.

Notably, no one seems to recognise the basic foundation of good governance, which is to have capable staff and avoid conflict of interest in postings. Examples are the hiring of teachers on a political basis and using them for elections,and the frequent transfers of education secretaries (four in two years).

The most recent posting is of an individual for the latter post for the spouse of what is probably the highest-funded public-sector institution, the Sindh Education Foundation.

Will a husband ever monitor the performance of his wife and will the latter ensure that accountability and transparency is observed?

Name withheld on request
Karachi

Published in Dawn, October 22nd, 2017