MITHI : The candidates as well as leaders of various political parties, educationalist and activists during a convention organised by the Thar Education Alliance (TEA) in the collaboration of Alif Ailaan here on Wednesday emphasised to give top priority to education in the desert region. They discussed the falling standard of education in Thar analysed the five-year education plan of contesting candidates and probe responsible solutions to ensure quality education across the government-run schools.

Speaking on the occasion, Barrister Arbab Fazalullah, the representative of Grand Democratic Alliance (GDA), deplored that due to the political interference in the education the literacy rate was not increasing.

Even not reaching to the advancement and newly introduced features in the field of education, through victimize the people on the behalf of political involvement in another party if opponents were discouraging them from their basic necessities and fundamental rights, it simply reflects the image of violation of their demands and needs, he added.

He further said that several thousand children hailing from Thar had to travel miles and to pass number of sandy dunes to reach at their respective schools in the remote villages of the district.

“We are expecting that if people will give them a chance to come on the floor of provincial or National Assembly they will make policy and plans for the people of Thar,” he added.

Representing, Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) youth leader Sushil Malani said that there are number of their family children were studying in government schools and colleges because to counter the stereotype and taboo which was crept in the minds of people that a parliamentarians were possessing the power and were able to pay sound amount in private sector schools rather to enroll in government.

An independent candidate from the constituency of PS-56 Sunteea Parmar shared her vision for the empowerment of girls’ education, she said that from far-flung areas of rural Thar if any single girl is going to district head quarter for education than firstly she faces the residence issue, so she would arrange girls hostel at there for the promotion of the of their education.

The chief of Thar Education Alliance Partab Shivani Shivani reiterated the bitter fact that Thar was ranked at the last number of all 29 districts of Sindh by the recent survey conducted by Alif Ailaan adding that if the aspiring candidates as well as the elders and notables of the communities living in Thar did not make their concerted efforts things would further aggravate in near future as the infrastructure was fast decaying in the whole district.