KARACHI: Sindh Education Minister Sardar Shah on Monday said he would announce a new education policy within a week in a bid to improve the vital sector.

“On behalf of my ministry I am going to announce the education policy of Sindh in a few days — within a week — which will be brief, but will carry all the issues, which need to be addressed,” said Mr Shah while speaking to reporters at his office.

He said he would work hard round the clock and those who did not work with that pace would no longer be his companions in his agenda to improve the education sector.

He said he had visited various offices of his ministry where secretary education had briefed him about the issues and way forward.

He said a complaint centre and a facilitation centre would be established in the offices of the ministry in the Sindh Secretariat to ensure that public complaints and issues should be addressed promptly.

Apart from this, the minister said, he would be there on the social media to listen to the complaints of people.

“Today,” he said, “I give message to all the officials (of the education ministry) that if any complaint against any of them is proved then that official will no longer enjoy that office.”

He said eradication of corruption from the ministry was among the key priorities he had set.

He conceded that the education ministry suffered from political interference, which, he said, should end and requested his own party as well to help him end political meddling in the ministry.

Regarding contents of the forthcoming education policy, the minister said it included reopening and running in a good manner hundreds of closed schools. Besides, training of teachers was also a key feature of the policy document.

“Our education policy will be brief and would not be spread on hundreds of pages as such policies had been in the past. Those policies had generally never been read by then ministers or secretaries.”

He thanked Pakistan Peoples Party’s chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari and Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah for entrusting him with such an important ministry.

“I want full cooperation and help from the people of Sindh. We will ensure that teachers get respect they deserve and I request all teachers to inform me if anyone demands bribe from them in any official deed. I’ll myself take action against the one who forces a teacher for bribe.”

Ajrak issue

Regarding issuance of a letter by the education authorities in Hyderabad in which students in schools were asked to mandatorily wear ajrak, Mr Shah said that letter was issued two days before he was sworn in as the minister and had duly been cancelled.

He said an inquiry had been ordered against the district education officer and director education Hyderabad as no district officer was entitled to take such basic policy decisions.

“Ajrak is a great symbol of our culture, but culture cannot be imposed with might,” he added.

Published in Dawn, August 28th, 2018