KARACHI: Education Minister Syed Sardar Shah on Friday said that 92per cent of the school education budget was spent on salaries and pensions, lamenting that the education sector had become a source of employment rather than a focus on learning.

Furnishing a statement and replies to lawmakers’ written and verbal queries in the Sindh Assembly, he said that the provincial government had initially decided to recruit 50,000 teachers in 2021, and 95,000 teachers have received offer letters so far.

In reply to a verbal query by Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan’s lawmaker Qurat-Ul-Ain Khan, the education minister said that about 31,000 candidates are still waiting for recruitment.

He said that the provincial government had allocated over Rs18 billion for schools and empowered principals to spend on daily needs.

He said that there were 1,236 primary schools in the seven districts of Karachi, and of them 1,194 schools had buildings, including 1589 reported as dangerous. “There are 375 secondary schools in the city and of them 41 are reported as dangerous,” he added.

Mr Shah said that a total of 233 primary and secondary schools had been declared unsafe in Karachi and funds of Rs4,156 million were required for repairs.

When asked verbally by the MQM-P member, Mr Shah admitted that libraries and science labs were scarce, especially in primary schools, and that many school buildings needed repairs after roof collapses.

The education minister said that around 30 million children attended private schools nationwide, with teachers earning only Rs10 to Rs12,000 per month.

He said that girls’ enrolment stood at 42 per cent in the province.

Mr Shah said that many opposition members adopted schools, which was a good practice and should be appreciated.

MQM-P’s Sabir Qaim Khani said that schools needed significant improvement, and the roofs of two schools in his constituency had collapsed and needed repair.

To a question, he said that no education was taking place in dangerous schools, and the reports about such schools were three years old.

MQM-P’s Rashid Khan said that teachers from other cities were being recruited in Hyderabad.

Published in Dawn, February 21st, 2026