THOSE who are entrusted with the task of managing schools in Sindh seem to lack both competence and integrity. As a result, qualified teachers are humiliated, misallocated and denied the opportunity to teach the subjects they have trained for.

As a junior elementary school teacher (JEST) holding a Master of Arts (MA) degree in English, I was expected to teach English literature and English language. However, I have been sent to the primary section and assigned subjects like Drawing and Maths to grade I and II students.

In my place, English is being taught to students in the school’s secondary section by Science teachers. Everybody is a loser in this badly-managed equation, but when I requested subject re-alignment, I was humiliated by the principal.

This whole episode reflects a deeper malaise in the education system where inefficient management, favouritism and prejudice devalue qualifications and waste talent. The cost of such decisions is immense. Teachers enter classrooms demoralised, their confidence eroded by humiliation rather than strengthened by respect.

Students, in turn, badly suffer from poor learning outcomes as subjects are taught by irrelevant subject specialists. The malaise is common across Sindh. This mismanagement is not a minor adminis-trative error; it is a systemic injustice that undermines both teachers and learners.

Education is not merely about filling classrooms; it is about ensuring qualified professionals are placed where they can make the greatest impact. The allocation of subjects must be transparent and based purely on qualifications.

Teachers must be treated with respect when they raise concerns, not silenced or shamed. Accountability mechanisms should be introduced to ensure principals and administrators cannot misuse authority.

Sumera Mahar
Shikarpur

Published in Dawn, July 14th, 2026