Sindh Education Minister Syed Sardar Shah has disclosed that an overwhelming 92% of the province’s school education budget is currently being consumed by salaries and pensions, raising serious concerns about the sustainability and effectiveness of the system. Addressing the Sindh Assembly, he cautioned that the education sector risks functioning more as a source of employment rather than a platform focused on delivering quality learning outcomes for students.
Providing further details, Shah revealed that while the government initially planned to recruit 50,000 teachers in 2021, a total of 95,000 offer letters have been issued so far. Of these, nearly 31,000 teachers are still awaiting final recruitment. He also highlighted pressing infrastructure challenges, particularly in Karachi, where 233 primary and secondary schools have been declared unsafe and require approximately Rs. 4,156 million for necessary repairs and rehabilitation.
The minister additionally pointed out the shortage of essential educational facilities, including libraries and science laboratories, which are critical for improving academic standards. He drew attention to the comparatively low salaries offered to teachers in private institutions and emphasized that girls’ enrollment across the province currently stands at just 42%, underscoring the need for targeted reforms to boost female participation in education.
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