Daily Times

KARACHI: In what it seems if there was no government, the education department of Sindh has allegedly sold out as many as 2,500 government schools to different people in return of heavy bribes.

Interestingly, only 680 school buildings are left in Karachi, the city that has larger literacy rate as compared to rest of the province which is housing more than 3,000 schools, Daily Times has learnt.

Universally, each school should have its separate building so as to provide healthy environment to the students, however, in Sindh “All is Well,’ as no authority is there to question the most-powerful Secretary Education Dr Fazalullah Pechuho, who is brother-in-law of former president Asif Ali Zardari, sources said.

According to the sources, a strong mafia allegedly backed by the secretary education approached the judiciary, claiming that the school buildings belong to them and were given to government in the tenure of Zulfikar Ali Bhutto on rent.

The mafia used to claim rent for these building for many decades and finally the buildings were allotted to
them through legal means, sources alleged.

In his tenure, according to sources, Zulfikar Ali Bhutto had nationalized only 350 schools while the present secretary education has returned a large number of schools to private people in return of heavy commission and kickbacks.

The district education officers have time and again informed the chief minister, anti-corruption department and the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) about this serious issue, however no action has been taken to save hundreds of schools buildings owned by the state, the sources further added.

When contacted, Sindh Minister for Education and Literacy Jam Mahtab Dahar told Daily Times that he was informed that ten to twelve schools are being operated in a single building at most of the places while majority of school buildings have been returned to private persons.

“I will first investigate the matter then a proper inquiry would be initiated to take the responsible to task, ” the minister added.