DADU, Nov 6: As many as 107 primary schools for boys and 34 for girls are lying closed for 10 years in Johi taluka, badly affecting the literacy rate in the area.

The Johi taluka is one of the most deprived areas in Sindh with a high poverty and low literary rates.

In most of the areas there are no schools. Those opened under different projects remain closed due to indifference of officials of the Sindh education department.

Most of the buildings of the closed schools are occupied by influential persons of the area and being used as Otaqs.

EDO (education) Prof Jalil Ahmed Akhund said the primary reason was shortage of teachers and most of the schools remained closed since the day the buildings were constructed.

He said the buildings were constructed in a period when the law and order situation was worst hence the villagers left their houses and no teacher was ready to perform duties at these schools.

The third reason was political one as influential teachers having links with politicians avoided to perform their duties.

The BHP company, exploring oil and gas in the taluka, has taken notice of needs of the community and opened 11 primary girls schools in the far-flung areas of the Kachho belt.

With the help of an NGO, it opened ten girls schools in Saeedabad and one school through local NGO, the Child Development Organisation.

The company provided computers worth Rs300,000 to these schools.

Primary schools were opened by the BHP company in Allah Warayo, Pir Mashaikh, Norko Potho, Gohram Panhwar, Kamal Khan, Allah Bachayo, Arz Mohammad Lund, Waliji Miani, Ghulam Hussain Gadhi and Dodo Panhwar villages.

Around 495 girl and 244 boy students were enrolled in year 2005.

Meanwhile, the Action Aid Pakistan, an NGO opened 17 boy and girl schools and eight women adult literacy centres, through an NGO VSA.

At least 1,668 girl and 1,299 boy students and 79 women at adult literacy centre were enrolled during 2005.

President Village Shadabad Akbar Lashari said that closure of 107 boys and 34 girls primary schools had affected education in the taluka.

He said the literacy rate of girls was five per cent and of boys 15 to 16 per cent in the taluka.

He said the VSA had written to the education department for adopting the buildings of closed schools but so far the officials had not responded.

He said that 63 teachers including 42 women teachers were appointed by his organization to run schools opened through funding of BHP and Action Aid.