Daily Times

It should be a moment of reflection for all those who wish to steer the ship to see such an unprecedented degree of good governance from caretaker setups.

On Wednesday, Interim Chief Minister of Sindh Retired Justice Maqbool Baqar furiously reacted to reports about the unavailability of free textbooks in one-fifth of the government schools. His displeasure might not sit well with many as they accuse him of making headline-worthy statements.

80 per cent success rate of any public policy should be celebrated, social media campaigns might thunder. But taking a step away from the usual political gossip, this determination to ensure the welfare and constitutionally-mandated rights of all citizens is what’s required in an ideal leader.

Just two months earlier, startling revelations about no provision of books to 1.2 million out of a total of 4.4 million students enrolled in public schools across Sindh in the wake of a corruption saga had hit headlines. In a country languishing from a shambolic system of public education, remedies need to be thought out that facilitate the students in every possible manner. Between ill-planned changes to the curriculum, undue influence of black marketeers and controversial content, a progressive and sustainable education model remains a far cry. Every now and then, someone sitting in the higher echelons of power decides to try out a different dogma, treating millions of children under the umbrella as nothing but laboratory rats.

The Single National Curriculum propagated by the PTI sparked widespread condemnation for cultivating ideological rather than pedagogical imperatives at the expense of religious harmony, gender inclusiveness and a general call for moderate, progressive thinking. It would do also well for any administration–caretaker or elected–to look at the state of their coffers before promising unbelievable relief to the masses. The mounting frustration among the impacted could also be relieved by taking account of irregularities and trying perpetrators and facilitators as per law. *