THATTA, Oct 17: Some 45,795 children out of total 101,887 enrolled for primary education in Thatta district, i.e. about 50 per cent of them, are getting education either in straw made huts or under trees or sky in the district.

According to a survey conducted by Dawn, there are 2,209 primary schools in this district, out of which only 1,023 are functioning in Pucca buildings while the remaining 1,186, which have 85,297 boys and 16,590 girl students, are being run in straw made huts, under trees or sky.

A survey conducted in 1999 by Education Department in collaboration with Unicef revealed that 170,858 children, ranging from the age of four to seven years, were not attending schools.

The enrolment of children in the primary schools i.e. 54,856 was 24.3 per cent of the district’s children population which was at 225,714.

An academician told this scribe that 30 to 40 per cent of the ghost schools were not functioning and were merely shown on the record of Education Department.

According to him the reasons was the teachers’ non-attendance, poverty, parents dissatisfaction as well as the lack of their coordination and motivation.

Besides government network of primary schools there are 12 private primary schools with an enrolment of 959 children, functioning in the district but they are affordable only to prosperous families.

This correspondent has visited a number of school buildings being used as Otaqs (guest houses) by the influential landlords, Pirs and local politicians.

Majority of rural poor people think that educating their children is a futile business, and if they are educated, who will herd and graze their cattle and who will fetch water from distant places.

An NGO activist, known for collecting data on different issues, said there are 4,780 teachers to educate more than 100,000 students i.e. one for each 27 students in Thatta district.

He added most of the teachers were absentees.