Balochistan Point Voice of Nation
By: Munaj Gul Muhammd
Beyond, Balochistan has been suffering from manifold challenges from the very beginning of its existence and a lot of people’s deaths were caused due to poverty and corruption. Although, province is one of the most neglected parts of Pakistan where most of the young citizens are compelled to work in garages, hotels, fields and other sectors at the very young age; there are many school-age students in the province who are out of schools, working in shops, garages, hotels, etc to earn a sum of money for their livelihoods.
More-importantly, the education system in Balochistan seems very sub-optimal and deficient, although a recent report states that 1,800 state-run primaries, middle and high schools in Balochistan have been found to be nonfunctional. Due to the nonfunctional schools, Balochistan’s multitudinous students are out of schools whose dreams are shattered.
In the constitution of Pakistan, it is mentioned that education must be free for every child and the Article 25-A makes education necessary and compulsory for the children from 5-16 years old but yet the implementation of Article 25-A has proved to be a tough task for Pakistan.
Additionally, the province is the hub of challenges faced by children. For a long time, children in Balochistan are living in dark waiting for a dawn. Yet there are no serious measures to solve this issue. In the province one can find a great many of school-age children collecting garbages and working in garages. Albeit, another report states that 2,200 schools are without shelter and 5,000 primary schools across Balochistan are being run by a single teacher.
Recently, a parent based in Kolahoo said, ‘My son has a dream to be a teacher, but I am very much depressed because, we are impoverished and do not have money to send our son to a private institution and the government-run-schools are out of condition’. However, only a small number of schools are running in the country. The schools are in shambles and are further being ruined because of absenteeism of teachers. This is one of the reasons of high rate of drop outs. The majority of the people living in Balochistan are poor. They cannot afford private schools for their children.
Withal, Siraj, the resident of Kolahoo states, “I was eager to seek knowledge at my school and wanted to learn English but my own class teacher did not know English for whenever I asked him to teach me English, he replied, ” You must be enrolled in a private school for learning English, here you won’t get anything.”
Further he added, “When I came at Turbat City in 2012, then here I came to know that our government schools’ teachers had gulled at schools.” Even so, a lot more such stories of children are heard who are being beguiled by their teachers.
Thereupon, most of the out of school children belong to middle class families, whose parents do not have money to send their children into private schools or colleges for getting quality education and in the government schools education system is bush-league.
Recently, Shahjan, a 15-years old student, was studying in Model School of Kolahoo left schooling due to financial hurdles. Much as there are myriad such students in the province who had left schooling and started working. Because, their parents don’t afford to send them in school. If they go to school, they need stationary and uniform.
Another man based in Kolahoo said, “We are living hand to mouth, in the twenty-1st century and our children are out of school due to unavailability of teachers and basic facilities.”
Howbeit another person writes, ” I am sitting at such a place in Balochistan where the situation of infrastructure of schools and education is so worsened that it’s beyond the imagination of anyone.”
Balochistan is bypassed by the federal government in every sector. The federal and provincial governments had better work for the improvement of education sector of the province and they ought to be together to enroll the out of school children into schools as a result the innocent children must enjoy their fundamental rights and must be educated. The situation has worsened to such
lengths that the intervention of the federal government has now become mandatory. Immediate steps should be taken to restructure the province’s deteriorating education system.
The writer is the student to Law (LLB 5 Years) at the school of law University of Turbat and a part time teacher at DELTA. He can be reached at munaj1gul@gmail.com
Published in The Balochistan Point on December 22, 2018
