The Sindh government has kicked off a major admission drive, aiming to enroll 800,000 new students into public schools across the province. Sindh Minister of Education and Mines & Minerals Development Syed Sardar Ali Shah vowed to enhance the effectiveness of the monitoring system to ensure teacher attendance, warning of strict measures against educators who fail to show up or neglect their teaching duties.
“The focus is on ensuring that teachers fulfill their responsibility to educate students. We will not tolerate absenteeism,” said the education minister. The minister expressed these views while speaking to media representatives after leading a rally in Malir district.
The rally was organized by the Sindh Education Department in connection with the admission drive. It took place from Government Razaqabad College to Government Girls Primary School Razaqabad in Malir district, Karachi. Secretary Education Sindh Zahid Ali Abbasi, social activist Shahzad Roy, elected representative of Malir, MPA SajidJokhio, MPA Raja Razzak, MPA Yusuf MurtazaBaloch Special Assistant to Chief Minister SaleemBaloch, and other local leaders of the People’s Party participated in the event. Representatives from UNICEF, Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), and other international organizations also attended. During the awareness rally, participants carried banners and placards highlighting the importance of education.
They chanted slogans like “Parhyga Sindh, Barhyga Sindh” and others. Provincial Education Minister Sindh Syed Sardar Ali Shah led the rally alongside students and participants. Sindh Education Minister Syed Sardar Ali Shah said that the Sindh Education Department has started the admission drive today, as part of its efforts to boost education accessibility and enrollment rates in the province. He emphasized that education is a fundamental right according to the constitution. He added that it is the state’s responsibility to educate children between 5 and 16 years old, and parents share this responsibility with the state.
This year, the government aims to increase new enrollment in government schools by 8-9 lakh. Currently, 5.2 million children are studying. The minister ensured that no school in Sindh is closed due to a lack of teachers now. Efforts are being made to recruit good teachers. He warned that absent teachers who fail to teach will not be tolerated. The minister announced plans to start planting trees in schools, making headmasters responsible for this initiative.
Regarding textbooks, he acknowledged challenges but confirmed that books have been delivered to 138 Talukas. He committed to personally monitoring book distribution and visiting schools, book market and shops too.
