By Shahzad Bukhari
TANDO ALLAHYAR: Claims of an education emergency in Sindh are being contradicted on the ground, with students at a government primary school forced to study sitting on bare earth in harsh winter conditions.
At the Government Boys Primary School in Ghulam Rasool Arain village, in Sindh’s Tando Allahyar district, the absence of basic facilities has left children with no option but to attend classes seated on the cold floor. Students told local media that they study in the same conditions regardless of whether it is summer or winter. They said teachers, including a female teacher, also sit on the floor while teaching due to the lack of furniture.
The school administration said it had repeatedly approached higher authorities for assistance but had received no response. The school was inaugurated in 2006 but failed to receive complete furniture even in its early months. Since then, students have continued to study on the floor. Local residents expressed anger at the Sindh government and education officials, saying there was a clear gap between official rhetoric and reality.
They said that while the provincial education minister speaks about introducing a modern education system across the district, conditions in government schools tell a very different story. According to residents, the buildings of more than 200 government schools in Tando Allahyar district are in a dilapidated state, posing serious risks to both students and teachers.
They have appealed to the chair of the Pakistan Peoples Party, Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, the chief minister of Sindh and the provincial education minister to immediately provide furniture to the Government Boys Primary School in Ghulam Rasool Arain so that children can study in a safe and dignified environment.
