Sindh Education Minister Syed Sardar Ali Shah has announced that the target for new student admissions in Sindh for the current academic year exceeds 800,000.
Speaking as a special guest at an event organized by the Sindh Education Department at a private hotel in Karachi on Monday, he emphasized that headmasters will be required to plant trees in schools, and this responsibility will be integrated into their duties.
Shah stated that this year’s target in Sindh is to increase the enrolment ratio by over 800,000, with a focus on community involvement to enhance the effectiveness of the school enrolment system.
The event, themed “Launch of Sindh Enrollment & Retention Drive 2024-25,” was attended by Sindh Secretary of School Education, UNICEF Pakistan Representative Abdullah Fadal, Chief Field Officer UNICEF Prem Bahadur Chand, JICA’s K Abid Gill, Director Operations NCHD Humira Hashmi, Chief Programme Manager RSU Dr. Junaid Samoon, district officers of the Education Department, and others.
Various proposals were presented to sustain and increase school enrolment in Sindh, highlighting the importance of community participation. Minister Sardar Ali Shah announced that this year’s enrolment target in Sindh has been raised from 800,000 to 900,000.
He noted that the recruitment of teachers in Sindh has helped address the teacher shortage, resulting in the reopening and reactivation of over 7,000 schools. He also highlighted that currently, 5.2 million children are enrolled in government schools in Sindh, four million in private schools, 927,000 in Sindh Education Foundation schools, and 57,000 in non-formal education.
According to the constitution, it is the state’s responsibility to provide free education to children aged 5 to 16 years. Given the current resource constraints and other challenges, social cooperation is essential. The enrolment drive in Sindh is set to begin on August 16, with all available resources being utilized to make the process effective.
The education minister also emphasized that headmasters will not only be responsible for running the school but will also play a key role in engaging the community, particularly in ensuring children’s enrolment and supporting the continuation of their education in collaboration with parents.
Additionally, the responsibility of planting trees in schools will be included in the headmasters’ performance evaluation.
Representatives from UNICEF, JICA, and other partner organizations shared their views and suggestions at the event. Later, the education minister inspected scientific models exhibited by students from various government schools and praised their performance. International and other institutions collaborating with the Sindh Education Department also commended the department’s recent reforms.
Follow ProPakistani on Google News & scroll through your favourite content faster!
Support independent journalism
If you want to join us in our mission to share independent, global journalism to the world, we’d love to have you on our side. If you can, please support us on a monthly basis. It takes less than a minute to set up, and you can rest assured that you’re making a big impact every single month in support of open, independent journalism. Thank you.
