Articles and letters may be edited for the purposes of clarity and space. They are published in good faith with a view to enlightening all the stakeholders. However, the contents of these writings may not necessarily match the views of the newspaper.
Sindh: Poor education
Growing illiteracy rate is a setback to Pakistan, because illiterate have no familiarity with laws of land and with modes of social life. Illiterate prefers to live according to old culture and methodology of life. As a result, they create social problems for Pakistan. They follow old modes of life for marriage ceremonies, livelihood, agriculture and for living. Illiteracy is due to numerous reasons. Some of them are lack of accountability of schools and their staff, lack of proper governmental policies for education, minimum budget for education, low confidence of people in education system because of rising unemployment.
The abysmal budget allocated for education sector is responsible for literacy rate to slide down. Even funds received from world bodies like ADB, World Bank, IMF for amelioration of education are either misappropriated or kept unutilised and withdrawn as a consequence. Old and outdated curriculum with untrained politically appointed teachers has further damaged the education system. Looking at education sector in Sindh province, one would find result more-deteriorated in comparison to other provinces of Pakistan. Teacher-absenteeism is more common in Sindh: teachers seldom attend schools. They only appear on payday to collect salaries after paying some amount to head of institution.
IMTIAZ ESSA HALEPOTO
Sehwan Sharif, Sindh
Closure of educational institutions
Due to second wave of Corona virus all educational institutions were closed from 26th November to 10th January, 2021. From 26th Nov to 24th Dec, 2020 classes would be online and from 25th Dec 2020 to 10th Jan, 2021 winter holidays begin in institutions. Large number of students does not have proper Internet access and other technical things that are necessary for taking online classes.
On the other hand, most of the institutions have not been able to conduct or manage online teaching due to poorly equipped facilities. Students have complained about lack of facilities in their rural homes where they have gone back to, following closure of institutions. Hope situation will improve in near future.
ABDUL WADOOD
Lahore
Stan Swamy’s arrest
The incarceration of the 83-year-old Jesuit priest Stan Swamy, who has Parkinson’s disease, has outraged many Indians. The veteran tribal rights activist has worked for over 50 years in Jharkhand, fighting for labour rights. The charges against this ailing social worker with ‘anti-national’ conspiracies vis-à-vis the Bhima-Koregaon case, the prosecution is aiming to discreet law professionals and social reformers who raise their voices for the rights of the poorest of the poor. Fr. Swamy must be freed at the earliest before he loses his life in jail. National Platform for Rights of the Disabled has recently written to National Human Rights Commission seeking its intervention to provide “reasonable accommodation” to Swamy, who has been in detention in Nagpur Central Jail for last two months.
It is shameful that an ailing elderly man, who needed a straw to drink because of his debilitating condition, was being denied basic help and was forced to seek help from court and people of the country just to be able to nourish himself. In the meantime, Fr. Swamy is also suffering from severe dehydration physically and the worst kind of humiliation mentally. This is inhuman, cruel and stinks of political vendetta. The State and its law and order agencies never liked him because he has been consistent in questioning the non-implementation of the Fifth Schedule of the Constitution. This is the kind of inhuman treatment social activists get in India under the Modi government.
The Catholic community in India has always been working for development of the poor and the downtrodden. It is through hardworking, sincere and committed persons like Fr. Stan Swamy that the Catholic Church has worked for welfare of the poor in this country.
JUBEL D’CRUZ
Mumbai, India
Help HIV-AIDS affected people
It is sorrowful that Zimbabwe has a high HIV-AIDS prevalence. Conditions of people living with HIV-AIDS have worsened because of economic hardships and misplaced priorities by the Zimbabwean government. Unprotected heterosexual sex continues to be the main transmission route for new infections, approximately forty thousand Zimbabweans affected with HIV-AIDS this year. Zimbabwean President Emerson Mnangagwa ignored Zimbabweans living with HIV-AIDS and there is no commitment or any support that is coming from the government to ease the burden on people affected by HIV-AIDS.
People affected by HIV-AIDS faces challenges such as inadequate access to health services, inadequate food and nutrition, lack of access to clean water, good hygiene and sanitation. People living with HIV are disproportionately affected by food insecurity and shortages of essential medicines. HIV medication should not be taken on an empty stomach. Lack of community support and stigma and discrimination affect children living with HIV from their school attendance and hospital visits.
KUDZAI CHIKOWORE
London, UK
