top of page
Writer's pictureMuhammad Umar Amin 24020499

Ghost Schools and Dropout rates (Misery of Sindh)

In Sindh, there are 12 million kids between the ages of 5 and 16; 6.7 million are not in school. The lack of middle and high school government institutions is the main factor contributing to this worrying decline in net enrolment. The lack of middle and high school government institutions is the main factor contributing to this worrying decline in net enrolment. There is a significant imbalance in the number of schools available there. In Sindh, there are 46,039 government schools, of which 91 percent are primary, and 4% are high schools. What's more intriguing is that 91 percent of elementary schools receive only 15 percent of the budget during budget distribution time. School dropouts were caused by ineffective policies and funding allocation, which also increased the number of "ghost" schools.




Ghost schools and dropout rates are serious issues: "A ghost school might be a school which is not there, it never was built, and they said, 'oh we've built the school,' and there's no school there," said Professor Anita Ghulam Ali, former minister of education for Sindh and head of the Sindh Education Foundation, a government organization that works to address educational issues in the province.

The most typical scenario is when the school is shut down, and there is no teachers present, thereby turning it into a ghost school.

There are at least 11000 non-functional and ghost schools in Sindh. In Pakistan, Thatta and Tharparkar have the most abandoned buildings and ghost schools. It added that teachers in these schools draw reasonable salaries without working, which burdens the state's limited resources.

The Sindh government, in the perspective of the public, has failed the province. The Pakistan People's Party, which has ruled the province for more than ten years, has come under fire from social media users who claim that "the party is keeping Bhutto alive by operating "ghost schools."





The image shows the causes and factors that influence dropout rates and ghost schools issue in Sindh's govt. The leading causes of dropout in Sindh's government schools are poverty, illiteracy, excessive political interference, local tribal conflicts, informal institutional arrangements of Sindhi society, lack of facilities (electricity, substandard infrastructure, and toilets), ineffective administration, school climate, and child labor. Additionally, no administrative support system in Sindh would have helped district education management reduce the number of "ghost schools."

Lastly, it is recommended that law-abiding organizations take note of the situation and manage their departments under the law. Additionally, the government must use social forums to win over the local area's political will for cooperation in eliminating unwarranted political intervention in the education system. Further, Sindh's low literacy rate is primarily due to poverty. Therefore, the government should start technical education, cottage industries, or poverty alleviation initiatives to end poverty. Sindh has a far higher percentage of ghost schools, partly due to a severe literacy crisis. Government should focus on the literacy rate, especially in rural areas of the Sindh. Policymakers must also pay heed to this and make feasible and productive policies for the province.




46 views10 comments

10 Comments


I knew the situation in Sindh was bad but never guessed it would be this bad. The images are really helpful in explaining the whole situation. This post was very informative for understanding the severity of situation in Sindh.

Like

Your blog post on Sindh's "ghost schools" is fantastic. I want to add some more knowledge that I have here. While it is commendable that the administration is focusing on closing down ghost schools in the province, some of the education statistics need immediate attention. In rural Sindh, there are 1.8 schools per 1,000 pupils. Only 15% of elementary and intermediate schools employ two instructors. Many schools lack the necessary amenities, such as playgrounds, drinking water, toilets, and boundary walls.

These factors have caused the province's school enrollment to stall after gaining a sufficient amount of momentum a few years ago. In order to improve the quality of education in government schools, the government must hire quality teachers and pay…

Like
Replying to

Adding more to the previous talk without going into the severity of the issue, one thing is evident; feudalism is a curse and needs to be tackled sincerely.

The poor need to improve on the poverty ladder, and to achieve this goal, the government and the people need to work together. One thing is certain, serious thought needs to be given to spreading education in the province, improving the economic well-being, promoting cooperatives, improving the water supply and increasing the yield per acre, making people aware of their rights so that the dependence on the feudal is greatly reduced.

A positive change in the attitude, mind-sets and culture is required. The key issues that have to be tackled are reducing…

Like

This blogpost is quite informative and organised, I like how you have provided pictures of statistics to back your argument. This is a very significant problem because al though there are primary schools, the lack of universities and higher education institutes prevents people from attaining degrees and going into professional fields. The fact that there are children who have never seen a classroom is beyond unbelievable. The fact that the notion of ghost schools even exists is a serious issue which needs to be addressed as it creates an environment which does not respect the benefits of learning and education. What do you think the provincial government of Sindh can do to tackle this problem of ghost schools?

Like
Replying to

"What do you think the provincial government of Sindh can do to tackle this problem of ghost schools?" Answering to this question provincial governments should come forward to achieve the target of universal primary education.

On this count, funding for education should be increased by allocating a minimum of four per cent of the GDP to education, out of which due weightage should be given to primary education.

The center should implement free and compulsory primary education for all children, in accordance with Article 37 (b) of the Constitution, leading to 100 per cent primary enrolment and 75 per cent primary completion rate by 2015.

Last but not least, provincial governments should do away with political interference and favoritism in…

Like

This is why it is important for the government to spend its resources equally across the country so such inequalities don’t arise. So that it can train teachers and focus on the education of provinces that might not be as developed as for example Punjab. Coming from a tribal village myself, I have seen how the lack of education and job opportunities nearby only increases conflicts within the village. This is because people fight over land as it is the only way they can make money and provide food for their families. Spending more money on education and the development of such rural areas would allow people to sustain themselves and also focus on education as a viable option for…

Like
Replying to

Poverty is also a big cause for the lack of education in rural areas. According to a research, Thirty-two per cent of Pakistan’s population live below the poverty line. Average size of the family is greater than eight. Poverty doesn’t offer parents the choice of educating their offspring, when fees are too high or schools too far away.

Many see little value in an education system that offers few job opportunities later on and more working hands mean less hungry stomachs. Poor parent prefer to send their children to work rather than sending them to schools. The poor people have to be made aware and a positive change in the attitude, mind-sets and culture is also required.

Like

almeerakhan100
Jun 30, 2022

Very well elaborate explanation. Your statistics make it very clear which are and why are problems with Sindh's educational institutions. I'd like to add that one of the issues depicted in your image—lack of parents' interest in children's education—is something that I've personally experienced. When I first met my distant relatives who lives in Karachi, I began by asking about how they lived and how their children's schooling was going. She replied to me that she doesn't send her children to school. Upon asking the reason, she replied to me, "school mn bchon k sirf waqt zaya hota h, koi nokri to milte hi nai h to faida bchon ko school bhjne k, is c acha koi kam sekh len…

Like
Replying to

I believe one of the fundamental problems of lower literacy rates in not only Sindh but most of Pakistan is the lack of awareness. Education is globally being seen as mean to earn a living for oneself, it is rarely now considered as a form of personal growth or an essential need for human population like food and water but that is a different debate. In Pakistan, given its poverty levels education is bound to be treated as an expense rather than an investment. Here graduates from elite colleges find difficult to get employed then I believe there is only little left for the lower class and hence the parents' decide its better to make their children work, marry their…

Like
Post: Blog2_Post
bottom of page