The speakers at the different sessions of the second day of a three-day Karachi Youth STEM Learning Festival on Friday highly stressed the need for the Sindh Education Policy. Discussing Education in Emergencies, Quality Enhancement and Investment in STEM Education, moderator Jawad Mirani observed that it was a subject which was not given preference as it was one of the most important issues of global concern. “We need to pay serious attention to this issue,” he said. A panelist Pirbhu Satyani said that the emergency situation in education is causing disruptions; our infrastructure is in a critical state, with buildings on the verge of collapsing, yet the severity of the issue is not being taken seriously.
Natural disasters may still be on the horizon, and in schools, children do not feel safe. In the 2010 flood, a few organizations initiated school safety programs, but the situation persists. Children from vulnerable and marginalized communities continue to suffer more, he added. Educationist Partab Rai Shivani said we lack a comprehensive plan, relying on appeals rather than having a structured policy, particularly in the absence of a Sindh Education Policy post the 18th amendment, which has made education a provincial matter. While we have short-term projects, the absence of sustainability plans is apparent.
