BHIT island is located in the Manora channel, within the limits of the Karachi port. Fishermen solely inhabit the island. There is almost zero per cent literacy rate. Fishermen of this island have produced two to three graduates in 300 years.
They never had any representation in legislative bodies such as the provisional assembly, the National Assembly and the Senate. Nobody is in civil services or armed forces. They never produced a doctor, engineer, professor, lawyer, or a judge. The Karachi Port Trust and the Pakistan Navy are in their neighbourhood but the inhabitants do not have any representation.
All this is depressing. But the question is what should we do now? It is education which brings a change and transforms a person into a responsible citizen, accelerates socioeconomic development, promotes national integration and upholds individual dignity.
The fishermen have helped themselves and have been able to establish a modern English-medium school in 2004. The school has strength of 750 students as now and it is being run on a no-profit-no-loss basis. Course material is provided free of cost, but it needs outside help to sustain the project and to build on the infrastructure.
Whenever the school comes to know through the media about any aid programme being initiated by some donor agency, they happily apply for it thinking that their rights will be given to them. But, unfortunately, it never materialises for different reasons. International donors should make sure that transparency is ensured by their local implementing agencies. In the Bhit island school case, they applied for Integrated Education Learning Programme (IELP) at the Sindh Education Foundation funded by USAID, probably for their girls’ education stipends, but could not make it because of random selection or balloting.
Other organisations and individuals got their three to four schools selected and some got five schools selected. Recently ‘Ilm Ideas’, funded by UK aid, asked for grant of aid application in the education sector. Again they tried to fill the lengthy forms and to email but could not get through. It appears their email address was not functional. Therefore, they lost the opportunity to apply on time.
I would request please do not play with the sentiments of the deprived and of those who want to do something beneficial for their community and their country. Please keep in mind that aid should be given to those who really deserve and not by random selection or balloting by asking to fill lengthy and difficult forms. The aid agencies are not doing favours to the uneducated, underprivileged and deserving candidates.
MAHMOOD IBRAHIM Bhit Island, Karachi
