KARACHI, April 21: Sindh Chief Minister Sardar Ali Mohammad Mahar has said that the government is taking measures to promote education. Speaking to a group of students at the Chief Minister's House , he said that at present three million children in Sindh were not getting education.

It was the reason that the provincial government launched a programme in this regard while other provinces were just preparing at the moment. He said 24,000 teachers were being recruited in Sindh after which shortage of teachers would be overcome.

He said from the new academic session, English has been made a compulsory subject in class I, and institutes would be established in every taluka to teach English. He announced that students in community schools in Sindh would get free textbooks.

Students of various schools informed the CM about the problems and requirements of their schools, including classrooms, furniture, fans, playgrounds, computer literacy, English teachers and uniforms. The CM listened to the students and promised to provide furniture, water coolers, uniforms and to get school buildings repaired.

The children were drawn from various home schools, adopt-a-school schemes, community-supported schools, fellowship schools and centres for working children, etc. The visit was held under the auspices of the Sindh Education Foundation.

Education Minister Irfanullah Marwat, who was also present on the occassion, stated that in accordance with the goal of Education-for-All, all youngsters of the school-going age in the province would be enrolled by the year 2010.

He was of the view that the programme in the province was quite a developed one as compared to other provinces. The minister also announced that about 24,000 schoolteachers are being recruited in the province to help meet the shortage of teachers.

He said under the new syllabus, the subject of English is compulsory from Class-I. He said text-books are being distributed free of cost in some 40,000 government schools.