A recent investigation revealing that 6,342 teachers within the Sindh Education Department are perpetually absent has prompted Haleem Adil Sheikh, President of PTI Sindh, to call for the immediate resignation of the Sindh Education Minister.
Speaking at Adil House in Karachi, Sheikh accused the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) of pushing the education system in Sindh to the brink of collapse, with thousands of government schools reportedly converted into cattle pens. These issues were highlighted following revelations by the Director General of Monitoring and Evaluation for the School Education and Literacy Department, leading Sheikh to demand accountability from the Education Minister.
Sheikh criticized the extensive corruption within the department, alleging that “Perpetually absent employees” are drawing salaries from public funds, with many of these employees residing abroad without facing any consequences. He expressed deep concern over the state of education in Sindh, highlighting that despite a budget of Rs. 2,374 billion allocated to the department over the past 16 years, around 6 million children in the province remain out of school.
He pointed out several alarming statistics, noting that over 12,000 schools are non-functional, more than 26,000 lack access to drinking water, over 19,000 have no toilets, 31,000 are without electricity, 21,900 lack boundary walls, 36,000 do not have playgrounds, and 47,000 are without laboratories. He blamed the PPP for the deteriorating educational standards in Sindh, which he claimed are the lowest in the country.
Sheikh also alleged corruption in the distribution of scholarships and free textbooks meant for deserving students, further accusing the Sindh government of failing to provide basic educational facilities, thus depriving the children of Sindh of their right to education.
Sheikh, claimed that Sindh has the highest number of “Perpetually absent teachers” in the country, with many schools reportedly being converted into cattle pens and guesthouses. He alleged corruption in the distribution of scholarships intended for deserving students and in the provision of free textbooks. Sheikh further stated that due to this corruption, the educational standards in Sindh are now the lowest in Pakistan.