Daily Times

Overwhelming shortage of teachers, restrictive budgets, and the exclusion of arts subjects are hampering educational opportunities, particularly for children with diverse learning needs in south Punjab.

According to official sources, longstanding issues of resource scarcity and limited infrastructure have left schools struggling to meet even basic educational needs. Compared to the rest of Punjab, the region faced with challenges across various sectors.

As per official sources, about 26.7 million children are out of school across Pakistan, including a remarkable proportion from South Punjab. Even among those enrolled, many students confront multiple obstacles due to inadequate facilities and teacher shortages, especially at primary and middle levels. Schools in the region often operate with minimal teaching staff, forcing remaining teachers to juggle large classrooms and several grades. This not only affects their ability to teach effectively but also undermines students’ learning experiences and outcomes.

“The lack of teachers means children in these schools are frequently neglected academically,” explains an education department official.

“This situation is particularly severe in the arts, as schools are compelled to prioritize core subjects where staffing exists, leading to a complete neglect of arts education.”

In the last few years, many high schools across South Punjab have eliminated arts subjects from their curriculum due to a shortage of teachers. The sources said that last time teachers were recruited in 2018. It has caused hardship for students who struggle with science-based subjects and would otherwise thrive in the humanities. “These cuts in arts education leave many students disenchanted with schooling,” stated a teacher on condition of anonymity.

“Some students who would excel in Arts subjects are left with fewer academic choices which led to increased dropout rates.” The exclusion of arts subjects risks producing a generation of students deprived of well-rounded education.

Arts education is recognized globally as essential to cultivating a critical, adaptive, and creative workforce. By limiting students’ access to it, South Punjab is depriving many of the chance to discover their strengths beyond conventional academics.

Aside from classroom responsibilities, teachers in South Punjab are regularly tasked with non-academic duties, such as dengue prevention campaigns, and data collection assignments. This added workload places further strain on the already limited teaching staff. According to local administrators, these extra responsibilities affect teachers’ performance in the classroom, thus it compounds the region’s educational crisis.