Sindh Education Minister Syed Sardar Ali Shah has rejected the statements made by Awaam Pakistan Party’s General Secretary Miftah Ismail during his press conference circulating on social media, terming them baseless. He stated that the Planning and Commission of Pakistan report referred to by Miftah Ismail had already been challenged by the Sindh government, declaring it contrary to facts. The provincial minister explained that the Islamabad institutions involved in the Planning and Commission’s District Education Program Index report merely acted as “desk analysts.” The report cited by Miftah Ismail is based on data from 2022-23, while it is well known that Sindh faced severe flooding in 2022, leaving people displaced until early 2023, which impacted reporting and altered ground realities. He added that without understanding these facts, deliberate attempts are made to portray Sindh negatively.
Sardar Ali Shah said that since Miftah Ismail has nothing else to sell, he has appeared with half-truths from a partial report. He pointed out the contradiction within the same report, which mentions that enrollments in primary, middle, high, and higher secondary levels increased by 3.2%, 7.6%, 5%, and 8.8%, respectively, while simultaneously claiming a decline in literacy rates. Presenting statistics, he stated that according to the 2023 census, Sindh’s population is 55.69 million, with 16.89 million school-going children aged 5-16. With a 2.6% annual population growth, this number would be 17.78 million in 2025. According to school records, 11.61 million children are enrolled in schools in Sindh, while around 6.2 million children remain out of school. In comparison, over 10 million children are out of school in Punjab.
The minister highlighted that for the first time, Sindh has introduced a non-formal education curriculum to address out-of-school children’s literacy, and with other ongoing initiatives, the province aims to address this issue substantially by 2030. He noted that after constitutional amendments, education is a provincial subject, yet no consultation is made with provincial departments before conducting any surveys. It is unfortunate that federal institutions have yet to count Sindh accurately even in the census, raising concerns about the reliability of their other figures. Sardar Ali Shah further stated that while one-sided reports claim Sindh’s schools are in poor condition, the province itself has already acknowledged that heavy rains and floods have damaged 20,000 schools. Blaming performance metrics for damages caused by natural disasters is baseless and unjust.
He highlighted that the Planning Commission is unaware that Sindh is the only province whose curriculum has been declared better than other provinces in a neutral analysis by UNESCO. He advised Miftah Ismail to inform other provinces that Punjab faces a shortage of 100,000 teachers, and asked about the conditions of girls’ education in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, whereas Sindh has transparently completed the recruitment of 93118 teachers on merit, leading to improved quality and increased enrollment. Sardar Ali Shah noted that Sindh took the lead in introducing a teachers’ licensing policy, an initiative of the Sindh government, questioning whether similar examples exist in other provinces. He pointed out that Sindh’s 100,000 square kilometer area includes deserts, mountains, and coastal regions where network issues persist, and it is evident that providing network facilities is not the education department’s job. Yet, Sindh is ranked lower in technology indexes due to these factors.
He further highlighted Sindh’s electricity issues due to the federal government’s attitude, leaving many villages without electricity, which also affects schools in those areas. Including the lack of electricity in performance metrics is unfair, and the province has never hidden its genuine shortcomings. Quoting the Planning Commission’s own report, he mentioned that Sindh’s Naushahro Feroze district outperformed over half of Punjab’s districts and all Khyber Pakhtunkhwa districts, ranking 69th in performance. This single district of Sindh has surpassed 70% of Punjab’s districts in learning outcomes, a fact often ignored by critics. Sardar Ali Shah questioned why Miftah Ismail has hidden these realities and whether he is serving old associations.
He reminded that Miftah Ismail, having served as Finance Minister, should know that 92% of the education budget is spent on salaries. Sardar Ali Shah concluded by stating that while the Sindh government has never hidden its shortcomings, federal agencies do not bother to consult them before making reports. Without data based on facts, problems cannot be accurately or sustainably resolved.