KARACHI: The state-run schools, situated in the suburban localities of Karachi, lack furniture and other basic facilities due to which students are compelled to sit on the muddy ground and attend their classes. Daily Times has learnt. The concerned authorities of Sindh’s Schools Education Department have neglected these government schools in which thousands of students of the poor families are enrolled. Some the schools’ gatekeepers have converted them into their residences because most of them have been non-functional since long. The parents of the enrolled children organized a protest against SED’s official last week at Pepri, a suburban area of Karachi. They demanded to provide furniture and other essentials in the schools but were not heard. Even a single official of SED not even bothered to visit the sites of the schools after the protest. A state-run primary school, located in the ALLah Bux Himayaiti Goth has no classrooms at all for the students. The administration of the schools has enrolled around two hundred children this year for which the teachers have arranged the classes under open sky and these children are forced to sit on the muddy ground. Generally, heaps of garbage can be seen in the front of schools of the locality while accumulated water of broken drains had made the lives of children miserable. Mithal Sayal Headmistress of the government girl’s primary school said. “In our schools only four classrooms existed for students where around five hundred students are studying, if we segregate theses students in two groups then less than hundred students would have the space to be seated in one room. She further added that the only one toilet and drinking-water tank has been constructed on the same place with in the school which is useless for them. Student and teachers bring water in the bottles from their homes. “We have approached to the concerned officials about these troubles but no body even cares to listen to us and the students are suffering a lot”, she informed, revealed that lower portion of the school was vacated by SED’s official and handed over to the gatekeeper for residence despite that the school is functioning since long. On the other hand, District Education Officer Rukhsana Memon said that they’re in touch with the top officials to shift the children into vacated building, she however denied the allegations. “We are not the decision makers regarding shifting of schools but we can only send recommendations to higher authorities”. It is pertinent to mention that most of the government schools are not functioning accordingly even in the city. The schools which are non-functional and lack basic facilities have been adopted by Non Government Originations. These care taker NGos are also charging fees from the poor enrolled students. Published in Daily Times, August 25th 2017.