THATTA, Oct 31: Nine higher secondary schools, upgraded from high schools in 1993-94 during the PPP era, keeping in view the growing admission load on the only three degree and one intermediate college (male and female) in the district, are still being run without subject specialists, science laboratories and independent buildings even after lapse of about seven years.

Acknowledging the fact, DEO Aapa Najma Baloch said the department had recently requisitioned to education works engineering wing head for provision of the buildings.

These nine higher secondary schools were amongst the total 72 high schools of the district, selected under the quota of ‘upgradation’ entrusted to the parliamentarians of that period.

These schools which include seven boys and two girls schools, located in Daro, Jati, Jherruk, Mirpur Bathoro, Mirpur Sakro towns and village Ahmed Khan Baloch are still operating in their original premises in evening shifts, irrespective of the fact that enrolment at these high schools have reached now a days upto 13,301 students.

These high school students being taught by 858 teachers, much against the sanctioned posts for these schools i.e. 1266.

Averagely twelve teachers per school have failed to complete even 35 percent of their course of ninth and tenth classes, as only five months have left of their annual examinations.

Feeling uncomfortable many of them wish to participate evening preparation classes, but were disturbed due to these schools.

Except higher secondary school Mirpur Bathoro, where five out of nine subject teachers were taking their period and higher secondary school Gharo where 60 per cent subject teachers are prompt to some extent, at other places few teachers of HST grade-16 and JST grade-14 are either voluntarily or under directives, teaching the subjects.

The required grade of these HSTs, called as subject specialists, is said to be of grade-17. All these higher secondary schools are having no Physics, Chemistry and Biology laboratories.

Another bitter fact is, that the computer education for the XIth and XIIth classes have been made compulsory from the session 2002 and examination of this subject would be held in 2003, but till now none of these schools have been supplied with the computers and its tutors.