THATTA, May 23: People’s Party MPA Humera Alwani has expressed concern over the increase in school dropout rate in the Sindh province and stressed the need of urgent action to arrest the trend.

She was talking to reporters at the press club after visiting some primary schools in Thatta on Friday.

She said that according to statistics the enrolment in primary schools in class one in 2002-03 was 23,282. However, only 8,500 out of them could reach class-V by 2007.

She termed non-cooperation of communities and absence of a follow-up mechanism the main reasons for the increase in the dropout rate.

Ms Alwani said that an effective monitoring system and coordination between education officers and local people could help improve the situation.

She said that the dropout rate among students of class-I to -V, in rural Sindh was alarming as 63 per cent of boys and 71 per cent of enrolled girl students left their schools before reaching to class-V.

Ms Alwani said that the measures like zero tuition fee, distribution of free textbooks, scholarship of Rs100 per month to girl student of class VI to VIII and no obligation of uniform, had been taken by the government to make access to basic schooling more affordable.

She said current policies were needed modification in order to keep the pace with the recent technological advancement of society and particularly participation of females in every walk of life.

In Pakistan, she said, school system was in need of a cultural reorientation to minimise the dropout rate.

Underlining the importance of the matter, she said that legislative steps should be taken to curtail the dropout rate, while adding that the issue should not be mixed with other poverty related matters and should be dealt separately so that it could get necessary government support and attention.