HYDERABAD, July 18: Sindh Education Minister Pir Mazharul Haq has said that 800 primary and 300 elementary schools have been upgraded to secondary level.

He was talking to journalists at a seminar on “Free Education, Health and Safety Standard in Schools” organised by the education department in collaboration with Unesco in Public School Latifabad on Wednesday.

“At present we have 91 per cent primary schools and only nine per cent secondary schools in Sindh. This poor ratio is affecting the education system,” he said.

He said the provincial government had increased the allocation for education department by 300 times to provide modern learning facilities in each school. A master plan has been prepared to provide lavatory and other amenities for maintaining health and safety standard in schools.

Under the 18th Amendment, education to children of 5 to 16 years of age was free and compulsory, he said, adding that legislation in the Sindh Assembly was in progress to implement Article 25-A of Constitution in this regard.

Under the proposed act the government would not only provide free education but would also make enrolment of children of 5 to 16 years compulsory.

He said parents would be fined or imprisoned for five years for violating this provision.

It was a great achievement to recover losses sustained by education sector during the dictator’s regime, the minister said. When asked about action taken against ghost teachers, he claimed that out of such 353 teachers in Sindh, 325 were working in media organisations.  He has released a list of such teachers but no one comes forward to confirm or deny it.

Government alone can’t achieve all targets without cooperation from other sections concerned, he said and urged media organisations to put pressure on people belonging to education department to work either for education or media.

He admitted that many schools lack lavatory facilities and said a master plan had been prepared in collaboration with Unesco to provide basic amenities in each school.

Speaking at the seminar, the minister said the Reforms Health Support Programme launched by the education department was important for quality education and health facilities to students in schools.

Unesco’s representative to Pakistan Dr Kozue Kay Nagata said provincial governments were expected to adopt legislation to implement Article 25-A and mobilise funds for the big challenge.