End to political meddling stressed

KARACHI - Educationalists, social activists and elected representatives of Lyari expressed their serious concerns over the poor education infrastructure in the Town, urging the Government to restrain political interference in the educational institutions and ensure appointments on merit in the institutions. They were of the view while expressing in consultation on Problems and Solutions of Education in Lyari organised by Lyari Town administration at Football House. They said that the destruction of educational institutions in Lyari owing to prior war-like situation and poor law and order in the Town and the consequent enhanced rate of unemployment have closed doors for better opportunities for the youth of the oldest neighbourhood of the metropolitan. This problem can only be addressed by improving the education sector on a war-footing basis. Expressing their deep concern over decreasing ratio of the school going children they said that approximately over fifty percent of children left getting education during last ten years due to various reasons. Despite launching of Lyari Development Package (LDP) wherein the education sector has been given first priority, so far the residents of Lyari have not got any benefit, said the participants. They pointed out that there were many problems prevailing in the Town depriving the youths from their basic rights of education, such as poor quality of education, mismanagement, lack of basic facilities in school buildings, shortage of well-trained teachers and staffers, political appointments in education institutions, lack of funds, poverty, joblessness and many others. They said that there were no proper basic facilities in schools such as drinking water, toilets, well-trained teachers, lack of co-curriculum activiti-es, and their condition was totally dilapidated. There were no either parks or play grounds where the children had better do their physical activities to become mentally fresh. The participants suggested prov-iding free modern and technical education to the deprived youths of Lyari, while English language course and compute education should be provided to the students in schools across the Town. They also urged that the parents should be asked to send their children to the schools and the teachers of the schools should be restrained for the corporal punishment to the students. The privet schools must be obeyed to fulfil to required criteria. Engineer M Rafiq Advocate, Sindh Minister Katchi Abadis and Spatial Development Minister who participated as chief guest, after hearing the criticisms and concerns of the participants, said that being a resident and elected representative of Lyari he was fully aware of the prolonging problems of the Town. He said that the current government had initiated many steps for the improvement of Lyari and had prioritised education. He also assured his full cooperation on behalf of the provincial government, saying that the provincial government had taken various initiatives for the development of the Town and further initiative needed to be taken in this regard. The Provincial Minister also heard the proposals and suggestions of the participants and vowed to resolve the prolonged problem of education gradu-ally. Administrator Lyari Town Muhammad Raisi said that he already sent communiquTs to the provincial authorities suggesting issuing of special funds for the improvement of schools in the Town. He also said that he had sent a proposal to the Chairman Lyari Development Package to renovate Lyari Text Library located at Mullah Fazil Hall, which is the only library in Ly-ari, but he had not yet rece-ived any reply. Raisi also assured that the Town administration would use its resources to remove the hurdles and problems in the schools functioning within the jurisdiction of the Town admin-istration. The Town Administrator said that he had also remained associated with an NGO working for the promotion of education and understood the education issues in the Town.