KARACHI, Jan 6: Due to frequent shifts in the Sindh education department’s policy, the duration of teaching in schools is likely to shrink further over the next academic session, said educational circles.
It is learnt that school students are likely to be examined and promoted only after a practical teaching of six months this time. The ongoing session had started on August 1, 2005, after a summer vacation and teaching-less days of almost three months, claimed a source.
This year, due to the extension of winter vacation up to Jan 8 and its further conjoining with Eid holidays, students will remain aloof of their schools for all practical purposes for 21-25 days.
Moreover, in the light of some decisions taken by the Steering Committee of the provincial education department, school students up to class-IX, after taking their annual examinations in April, will have to wait for another four months for any formal teaching at schools.
The private schools are expected to get their classes launched within the stipulated time but problem of a short teaching period will persist in the case of government schools next year as well due to the fact that any teaching tempo is attained two to three weeks after the commencement of new session, said another source.
If everything goes in right direction and no major shift occurred in the department’s policies, than the schools observing two holidays in a week will get 150 days for teaching and different tests and examinations, while the schools observing one holiday a week would get about 175 days for purposes, calculated a school teacher.
In the meantime, Syed Khalid Shah, chairman of All Private Schools Management Association, Sindh, has proposed to the education department to delay the school examinations up to class-IX till first week of May this time to increase the duration of the current academic year up to nine-and-a-half months, which included all holidays as well.
He said that summer vacation should be observed from June 1 to July 31 as usual and new academic session should be started from August 1.
The education department had recently announced extension of summer vacation up to August 16 and the start of the new session the next day.
Mr Shah said that the department had failed to realize that school students would remain without books and teaching after taking their examination latest by April 15. The department did not give any programme for remaining period up to May 30 and, as such, the students would either remain idle at schools or stay at home which was a matter of concern, he added.
Parents are of the view that frequent changes were affecting them financially as well. “We have to pay exorbitant amounts to private schools as well as van operators for the whole year against not more than six months of teaching and transport facilities,” some parents pointed out.
Taking note of the lack of planning on the part of education department, Sharfuzzaman, senior vice-chairman of the Private Schools Management Association, said in a statement that education minister should review the schedule of vacation and academic calendar finalized by the Steering Committee.