Arithmetic of poor education system

Daily Times, June 23, 2005
Arithmetic of poor education system

ISLAMABAD: The report also reveled that around 16.75 percent children were shelter less, 32 percent in Sindh, 18 percent in Balochistan, nine percent in the NWFP and eight percent in Punjab. In Sindh, 5,612 schools are reported to be non-functional due to lack of teachers and infrastructure. Of the non-functional schools, 365 are in Larkana, 109 in Sukkur, 427 in Badin, 409 in Dadu, 394 in Hyderabad, 468 in Thatta 637 in Mirpurkhas, 605 in Mithi, 369 in Sanghar, 236 in Ghotki, 398 in Khairpur, 194 in Shikarpur, 48 in Karachi, 266 in Jacobabad, 194 in Noshehroferoz and 399 in Nawabshah. The report said the education sector faced a shortfall of Rs 200 billion to implement its national action plan to achieve an adult literacy rate that is 86 percent for both men and women by 2015. The report mentioned a statement by the Asian Development Bank that spending on the primary education in Pakistan had gone down significantly and basic education indicators for poor were extremely low. The report on violence against children depicted a gloomy picture and discussed violence against children which includes child abuse, corporal punishment, child sexual abuse, children in conflict situations, street children, child abuse through traditions and customs, trafficking, camel jockeys. The last chapter deals with the state of children in Afghanistan. Despite the efforts by local and international organisations to ensure their welfare, the situation was still poor. It focused on issues like birth registration, education, health and nutrition, violence and infant mortality. Meanwhile addressing the launching ceremony, Javed Jabbar, chairman of SPARC’s Board of Directors, said that the government must give priority to child rights by introducing new schemes and projects in the education and health sectors. irfan ghauri