DADU, Feb 4: At least 30 primary girls and boys schools are inoperative while 10 school buildings are being used as Autaqs (guest houses) in Bahawalpur and Makhdoom Bilawal union councils of the district, according to a survey conducted by Dawn.

Residents of the villages where these schools exist said that no action had been taken despite repeated requests to the chief minister and the education minister of Sindh.

Rafique Ahmed Babbur, a resident of Mureed Babbur village of Bahawalpur union council, Johi taluka, said that neither any teacher was posted nor ay furniture provided to the school during the last ten years.

He said that 25 boys and girls go to Bahawalpur to attend schools after covering a distance four kilometres. Approximately 200 children of the village were being deprived of education due to absence of teachers, he complained.

He said the villagers had requested senior officials of the district for posting of teachers for a number of times but in vain.

Jam Babbur, another resident of the village, said that he had been using the school building as a cattle pen for many years because it was lying vacant. “If teachers are posted here, I will vacate it soon”, he added.

A dilapidated school structure with beds was found in Arz Mohammad Panhwar village which was being used as a guest house.

A young boy, Noor Mohammad Panhwar, who had been attending classes at Bahawalpur school, said that approximately 100 children of the village had dropped out.

Village girls were only being taught Quran and many of them were awaiting posting of teachers at the school to at least get primary level education, a villager said.

In Rawat Leghari village of Makhdoom Bilawal union council, a school building was being used as an Autaq where one Mohammad Yousuf complained of non-availability of teachers.

President of an NGO, Bakht Jamal, claimed that over 400 primary schools were inoperative and over 200 of them were either being used as drawing rooms or cattle pens in the far-flung areas of the district. Teachers of those schools, he said, were drawing salary without performing their duties.

The District Officer Education, Mohammad Safar Kalyar, said that education officers of Johi, Mehar, Khairpur Nathan Shah and Dadu had informed him that 89 schools had remained closed due to a number of reasons. He, however, said that the officials had been directed to reopen all closed schools.

The Deputy Commissioner of Dadu, Niaz Ali Abbasi, confirmed that several school buildings were being used as Autaqs and a number of schools were lying closed.

He said that he had directed the education officials to stop salaries of those teachers who were not performing their duties.

Sindh Education Minister Pir Mazharul Haq had inspected closed schools and had directed the officials to reopen them immediately, he added.

The taluka president of the Primary Teachers Association, Inayat Hussain Jamali, said it was responsibility of the education officials to reopen closed schools, adding that his association would extend cooperation to them in this regard.

A statement issued by the PRO to the minister said that the minister had directed the Sindh education secretary to take measures to reopen closed schools. Such schools in the district would be made operational soon, the statement said.