By Akbar Sheikh
QUETTA: Over 5,000 ghost teachers have been drawing salaries from the Government of Balochistan while total 11,000 schools including primary, middle and high levels are functioning in the province, of them 3,000 are ghost schools.
This was disclosed in ‘Media and Civil Society Collaboration Workshop’
organized by non-governmental organization Pakistan Coalition for Education at a local hotel here on Friday. A large number of representatives of various media organizations including print and electronic media attended the workshop.
Participating in the discussion on current situation related to education
in Balochistan, Quetta Bureau Chief Dawn News, Syed Ali Shah said he called on a high-profile official in the Education Department who told him that over 5,000 ghost teachers and 3,000 ghost schools were getting salaries and funds from the Government of Balochistan respectively.
He said hardly one percent funds were incurred for development projects in Education sector. Giving example, he said over 7,000 registered religious seminaries were functioning in the province while a large number of government schools were functioning only in paper record after getting government funds.
Kalimullah of daily Bakhabar claimed there 10,000 ghost teachers were
drawing salaries in the province. He said a large number of functional
teachers avoided to go to their schools to impart education and only drew salaries. He alleged that most of government teachers in Balochistan worked for political parties as political workers.
Yasmin Lehri said most of ghost teachers hailed from political and tribal
leaders of the province and salaries of such teachers went to those
families.
Balochistan Bureau Chief of English daily Dawn Saleem Shahid emphasized the need to eliminate political interference in appointment of teachers and educational institutions’ matters. He said lawlessness and target killing of teachers had badly damaged process of imparting education in Balochistan. He, however, lamented that leading media of the country did not give a sustainable space and coverage to social issues pertaining to Balochistan adding such trend did not help in removing sense of deprivation among Baloch youths.
Shehzada Zulfiqar of daily Pakistan Today viewed that declaring mother
tongue as total medium of instructions in education would cut off our new generation from the rest of the world. He said media organizations had lacked of manpower which had caused less coverage of social issues including education and health.
Noor Elahi Bugti of Samaa TV said relevant authorities after taking bribe
recruited JV teachers.
Eisa Tareen of INP news agency said teachers’ unions sent threat to media persons whenever they highlighted issue of ghost teachers and teachers’ negligence in attending their schools for imparting education.
Musa Farman of daily Khabrain said no imparting education could be made better until law and order situation was improved in Balochistan. He said teachers avoided to go to many districts due to security reasons.
News Editor of Balochistan Times, Mr. Suleman stressed the need to
eliminate cheating in examinations. He linked promotion of quality education with the development of the province.
Sabir Awan of daily Jang said private educational institutions paid very
meager salary to their teachers.
Ashiq Butt of NNI underlined the need to recruit teachers on permanent
basis and not on daily wages.
Muhammad Khalid of AAJ Tv said Government Printing Press did not print
text books timely.
Akbar Sheikh of Associated Press of Pakistan suggested that no teacher
should be appointed in a district who had domicile or local certificate of
other district. He urged NGOs to own government schools in dilapidated
condition by constructing wash rooms there and providing science laboratory equipments and furniture to them.
National Coordinator PCE Zehra Arshad emphasized the need to share
information on education’s condition in Balochistan on Internet via groups and blogs.
PressPakistan
Akbar Sheikh
Secular Pakistan 