KARACHI: Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah on Sunday directed the school education department, district administrations and education management organisations (EMOs) to launch an extensive community mobilisation and enrolment campaign to ensure that every newly constructed and rehabilitated school under the Sindh Secondary Education Improvement Project (SSEIP) becomes fully functional from the first day of operation.
Presiding over a review meeting on EMOs at the CM House, Mr Shah said the government had made unprecedented investments to expand educational infrastructure across Sindh, but the number of children enrolled would ultimately determine the success of these projects in bringing them into schools and retaining them in the education system.
The meeting was attended by Education Minister Syed Sardar Ali Shah, Chief Secretary Asif Hyder Shah, Principal Secretary to the CM Agha Wasif, Chairman Planning & Development Board Najam Shah, Secretary School Education Zahid Abbasi, Director General Public Private Partnership (PPP) Unit Asad Zamin, SSEIP Project Director Rizwan Soomro and other senior officials.
Says investment in school infrastructure must translate into higher literacy, especially among girls
Briefing the meeting, the education minister said that under the Asian Development Bank-supported SSEIP, a total of 838 schools are being constructed, upgraded or rehabilitated across Sindh, including 116 new secondary schools under the original project and 722 climate-resilient schools under the flood rehabilitation programme.
He said the projects are expected to create educational opportunities for nearly 250,000 children, including more than 221,000 students in flood-affected districts and over 28,000 students in newly upgraded secondary schools, most of whom would be enrolled from surrounding catchment areas where access to quality education remains limited.
The education minister informed the meeting that 257 schools are scheduled for completion by December 2026, while the cumulative number will rise to 611 schools by June 2027, with the remaining schools targeted for completion by the end of 2027.
Expressing satisfaction over the pace of construction, the chief minister emphasised that the next challenge was to ensure that these facilities are filled with students and contribute to improving literacy and educational attainment across the province.
“Our objective is not merely to construct school buildings. We have to ensure that every classroom is filled with children… These schools have the potential to bring nearly a quarter of a million children into the education system and significantly improve literacy levels, particularly among girls and children living in underserved areas,” he said.
He directed the education department to prepare district-wise enrolment plans well before the completion of the schools and involve elected representatives, local leaders, school management committees, parents, community organisations and EMOs in a coordinated enrolment drive.
“Extensive social and political groundwork has to be undertaken at the community level. We must identify out-of-school children, engage families and ensure that every child living in the catchment areas of these schools is enrolled. This is how our investment in infrastructure will translate into better literacy, stronger communities and brighter futures,” he said.
The chief minister noted that the government was prioritising educationally deprived districts and female education through the establishment of modern schools equipped with science and computer laboratories, digital libraries, solar power systems, girls’ common rooms and other student-friendly facilities.
The meeting was informed that under the original SSEIP project, 64 secondary schools would be completed by December 2026, while the remaining 52 schools will be completed by June 2027, bringing the total to 116 schools.
The chief minister directed the school education department to establish measurable targets for enrolment, retention and learning outcomes and submit a comprehensive operationalisation plan for every school before its completion.
The chief secretary assured the CM that the district administration would provide full support for awareness campaigns and enrolment drives.
“The government has made a substantial investment in expanding educational opportunities. Our collective responsibility is to ensure that these schools become vibrant centres of learning and serve the children for whom they have been built,” he said.
The chief minister also received a briefing on the flood rehabilitation component of SSEIP under which 722 flood-damaged schools are being reconstructed and upgraded in five districts through climate-resilient designs, with hundreds of institutions being elevated to elementary and secondary levels.
The education minister told the meeting that the education department, under the CM’s guidance, was not only creating new infrastructure but also reforming education delivery through partnerships with reputable EMOs that had demonstrated encouraging results in improving enrolment, attendance and learning outcomes in previously outsourced schools.
The meeting was further informed that procurement for the first batch of 40 schools has already been launched, and additional schools would be handed over to EMOs in phases to ensure professional management, accountability and improved learning standards.
Concluding the meeting, the chief minister reiterated that the government’s education strategy extends beyond constructing buildings to creating opportunities for every child.
Published in Dawn, September 21st, 2026
