KARACHI: Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah on Friday ordered a province-wide enrolment drive to bring out-of-school children back to classrooms on the pattern of the Thatta pilot model, where 702 students, including 409 girls and 102 out-of-school and dropout children, were enrolled in just nine days from Sept 21 to 30 in five newly upgraded schools.
He was presiding over a meeting to review the progress of the Sindh Secondary Education Improvement Project (SSEIP) and Sindh Early Learning Enhancement through Classroom Transformation projects.
The chief minister ordered that all newly upgraded schools under the SSEIP be made fully operational from April 2, 2027, and directed the launch of a province-wide enrolment campaign to bring out-of-school children back to classrooms.
He said that infrastructure alone was not enough and every upgraded facility must be functional with teachers, students and learning facilities from day one. “Our objective is not merely to construct schools but to ensure that children are enrolled, attend regularly and receive quality education close to their homes,” he said.
Enrolment drive to replicate Thatta pilot model, which has shown encouraging results
According to a press statement issued by the Chief Minister House, the meeting was attended, among others, by Education Minister Syed Sardar Ali Shah, Special Assistant to CM Syed Qasim Naveed Qamar, Chief Secretary Asif Haider Shah, School Education Secretary Zahid Ali Abbasi, Chairman P&D Najam Ahmed Shah, DG PPP Unit Asad Zamin, and Project Director SSEIP Rizwan Soomro.
Briefing the chief minister, the education minister said that a pilot enrolment drive conducted from Sept 21 to 30 in five newly upgraded secondary schools of Thatta district had yielded encouraging results, with 702 students enrolled in Classes VI to X in just nine days.
Of the newly enrolled students, 409 were girls, while 102 out-of-school and dropout children were brought back into the system. He said community mobilisation teams visited 116 feeder primary schools, reached 23 villages and carried out door-to-door awareness campaigns involving parents, teachers and local elders.
The chief minister appreciated the mobilisation teams visited 116 feeder primary schools, reached 23 villages and carried out door-to-door awareness campaigns involving parents, teachers and local elders.
The chief minister appreciated the outcome and directed the department to replicate the Thatta model across the province, with special focus on girls’ education.
The school education secretary informed the meeting that the five pilot schools currently had a combined enrolment of 1,406 students and additional teacher allocations were proposed to strengthen academic delivery.
The SSEIP project director briefed the meeting that the SSEIP and SELECT programme covers 1,133 schools, 838 under SSEIP and 295 under SELECT.
As per the implementation schedule, 552 schools are expected to be completed by December 2026, 801 by March 2027, while all 1,133 schools are planned for completion by December 2027.
Reviewing the construction timelines, the chief minister directed that all schools scheduled for completion by March 2027 must be furnished, staffed and ready for students by April 2, 2027.
He also ordered timely posting of teachers and provision of all essential facilities before commencement of academic activities.
The meeting also discussed the future management of the upgraded schools through Education Management Organisations (EMOs).
The chief minister directed the School Education Department and the PPP Unit to finalise a transparent and sustainable framework that improves learning outcomes while ensuring accountability.
Published in Dawn, October 3rd, 2026
