HYDERABAD, Oct 1: Sindh Education Minister Hameeda Khuhro has said she has asked district authorities of the department to undertake surveys of non-functional schools in their areas so that a strategy could be evolved to make the schools functional.

Talking to journalists on the occasion of the annual day function of the Bahria Foundation College/School, Hyderabad, on Thursday, she said the procedure of teachers' posting had been changed in a way to ensure presence of teaching staff at schools, besides making closed schools functional.

The minister said she was receiving complaints about shortage of teaching staff, especially in rural area, because majority of teachers managed postings in big cities and avoided working in rural areas.

She said a monitoring system had been introduced in the education department to check and ensure that directives and decisions of the department were implemented. This would improve the standard of education, she hoped.

She further said the performance of private schools was already being monitored. However, she added, the Sindh government was actively considering to control private sector schools charging high fees.

Ms Khuhro said the department had decided to train the existing teaching staff and recruit fresh staff on contract basis. Replying to a question, she said inquiries against inefficient officers had been initiated to streamline the education department, adding that decisions on these inquiries would be made on merit.

Answering another question, the minister said she had met delegations of the Sindh Professors and Lecturers Association and assured them that their genuine problems would be resolved. She said the impression that there were differences between the management and the teaching community was wrong.