Daily Times

BADIN: Several politicians from various political parties on Tuesday gathered at a political convention to discuss the state of education in Badin district.

The convention aimed to analyse five-year education plans of contesting candidates and work out reasonable solutions to ensure quality education in government schools. Laar Education Campaign in collaboration with Alif Ailaan had arranged the convention.

Parents, youth activists and civil society members from across the district participated in the convention, attending various sessions of the event.

Former DG Radio Pakistan and renowned broadcaster Murtaza Solangi moderated the first session.

Pakistan Peoples Party candidate from NA 229 Mir Ghulam Ali Khan Talpur while responding to the questions of the audience admitted that the education system in Badin was in shambles owing to bad governance.

Talpur asserted that only education could change lives, thus he claimed to work for improvement of the education sector if voted to power. PPP leader added that the royalty of gas and petroleum of the district would be spent on education system.

Talpur vowed that Sindh’s glorious days when it was known for quality education will return soon.

Another PPP candidate Taj Mohammad Mallah promised to focus on education along the coastal belt.

Shahnawaz Siyal candidate from PS 73 said that successive rulers were to blame for the mess in the district, urging the people not to vote for those who failed to provide quality education in the district.

Siyal asserted that it was time to get rid of the corrupt rulers through education.

Professor Tufail Ahmed Chandio, Dr Mohammad Ismail Memon, Khadim Talpur, Mukesh Meghwar and others also spoke during the day-long event and urged the voters to press their candidates to promise for an improved standard of education. According to Laar Education Campaign, there is shortage of secondary schools for both girls and boys along with lack of basic infrastructural facilities which all lead to the failing state of education in the district.

Badin district education office’s report states that 94% of the schools in the district were primary schools. However, there is only one middle school for 27 primary schools, that causes a decline in enrollment as the classes move up.

According to the report, more than 500 schools in Badin are still shelterless despite repeated promises and attempts by government officials, politicians and successive educations ministers to provide basic infrastructure, facilities and furniture in every school.

All these issues negatively impact the learning outcomes of students as evident by the low SAT scores achieved in languages, math and science. As the convention came to end, all of the contesting candidates signed a charter of demand for constitutional provision of quality education for children of Badin.

Published in Daily Times, June 28^th 2018.