KARACHI, Dec 13: The Sindh Education Department will move the Supreme Court against the verdict of the Sindh High Court lifting the ban from teachers' unions in the province, said Sindh Education Minister Hamida Khuhro on Wednesday. She was talking to newsmen in her office.

On a question about the SHC decision, Dr Khuhro said positive results were witnessed after the ban in terms of education standards, performance of children and teachers.

“We cannot take risk to lift the ban from unions in educational institutes to invite decline in education standards,” she said.

He minister ruled out the perception that 150 teachers, suspended after the ban, had any link to it. They were suspended owing to their poor performance and carelessness, she asserted.

About composite examination of Classes IX and X, she said there was no room for separate examination in 2007 as a notification in this regard had already been issued.

The objective behind this decision was to raise education standards, she said and quoted Federal Education Minister Javed Ashraf Qazi as saying that our degrees did not enjoy respect internationally and we have to take this decision.

Responding to a question, the minister said action was being taken against 'ghost schools' in Sindh in general and in Karachi in particular, while a study was under way to revive these schools where viable.

She said for renovation of college buildings, funds from the government were needed. However, for enhancement of school structure a three-year Sindh Education Reform Programme had been initiated.—PPI