Sindh Minister for Education and Mineral Resources, Syed Sardar Ali Shah, was the guest of honor at the “Launch of Sindh Enrollment & Retention Drive 2024-25” held at the Marriott Hotel Karachi. The event, organized by the Sindh Department of Education, aimed to boost school admissions across the province. The program saw the participation of various stakeholders, including UNICEF Pakistan’s representative Abdullah Fadil, Chief Field Officer PremBahadur Chand, JICA’s AbidGul, NCHD’s Director of Operations HumeiraHashmi, Chief Program Manager RSU Dr. JunaidSamo, and district education officers.
The session focused on strategies to increase and retain student enrollment in Sindh’s schools.
International and local organizations working alongside the Sindh Department of Education commended the recent reforms undertaken by the department. Minister Syed Sardar Ali Shah announced a target to increase school enrollments by 8 to 9 lac this year. Currently, Sindh’s educational landscape includes 5.2 million children in public schools, 4 million in private schools, 927,000 in Sindh Education Foundation schools, and 57,000 under non-formal education programs. One of the challenges mentioned was the shortage of teachers, which has affected enrollment rates.
Efforts to recruit new teachers are helping to reopen previously closed schools. The provincial minister emphasized the constitutional obligation to provide free education to children aged 5 to 16 and highlighted the need for social support due to resource constraints. The enrollment drive will commence on August 16, with a new emphasis on involving community participation, particularly parents, to enhance admissions.
Additionally, school administrators will now be responsible for planting trees in schools, with this task being included in the headmaster’s performance evaluation. Representatives from UNICEF, JICA, and other partner organizations shared their insights and suggestions during the event.
Students from various government schools also showcased scientific models, which the Minister reviewed and praised for their innovation and quality.
