DESPITE generating the most revenue and being the most multi-cultural city, Karachi has been subjected to discrimination of various sorts. Despite being the provincial capital, Karachi, intriguingly is not home to several important government offices.

For instance, the Provincial Institute of Teacher Education (PITE) is located in Nawabshah, and does not allow candidates from Karachi. Moreover, graduates from Karachi have no place in the Bureau of Curriculum, which is based in Hyderabad.

The most baffling aspect of this inequity is that grade 19 officers, mostly belonging to the education field, are relocated from rural areas to Karachi. They then serve in various institutions as principals, or as district education officers (DEOs).

It is extremely frustrating for highly qualified teachers, particularly in the public sector, to have their skills and expertise judged by those who have no basic understanding of the issues within an institution, the curriculum being taught there, and by those who are completely unaware of the context in which they come to provide leadership.

Why do higher officials fail to recognise that their haphazard and irrational policies and actions are affecting the future of thousands of students?

The students at public schools are extremely talented, but their potential remains untappd in the hands of non-professionals. They need highly qualified and experienced teachers and coaches to harness their potential.

Considering the importance of all such issues, the relevant authorities must take prompt actions to sort them out.

Rozmeen
Karachi

Published in Dawn, July 28th, 2021