IT is not possible to describe the size of education economy of Sindh through numbers for there is hardly any authentic data worth its name available.
Attempts were made to reach out to stakeholders over cell phones and through emails to get something going, but reluctance of the key players to share feedback, barring a few, was strange; though not unexpected.
When Dawn approached the Private Schools Management Association (PSMA) to know the number of private schools and their investment size to compare the current scenario with what it was like two decades ago, its president simply said the association did not maintain such data. PSMA Chairman Sharaf-uz-Zaman was also emailed a brief questionnaire and given with sufficient time — more than sufficient, actually — to answer it, but he didn’t respond despite confirming receipt of the email.
Sindh Minister for Education and Literacy Nisar Khuhro was sent messages on his personal cell phone and through his secretary repeatedly, but the minister apparently had better things to do.
Sindh Education Secretary Dr Fazlullah Pechuho was among the exceptions, acknowledging the weaknesses in the public sector and arguing that public-private partnership was a global phenomenon. “During the last three years, teachers in Sindh are being hired purely on merit,” he stressed and hoped that public perception “will change about government schools” soon.
Article 25A of the Constitution (Right to education):The State shall provide free and compulsory education to all children of the age of five to sixteen years in such manner as may be determined by law.
He, however, regretted that the province’s current spending on the sector stood at Rs140bn of which over 80pc went to salary bill and maintenance, leaving a miniscule sum for development. The government has launched a programme to improve infrastructure of public schools and Rs5.5bn are being spent, he added.