Sindh Education Minister Syed Sardar Ali Shah has announced a one-hour reduction in government school timings.
According to details, Shah said the decision was taken because extreme heat is making it difficult for students to continue their educational activities, while many schools across the province also lack basic facilities.
Speaking at an event in Karachi, the education minister said authorities have so far failed to develop a uniform and effective policy. He noted that children are being forced to sit under the open sky in temperatures reaching 52°C, while several schools do not even have proper roofs for students.
He said children studying outdoors in extreme heat reflects the poor state of the education system. He stressed that the problems faced by such students must be addressed immediately and that basic facilities should be ensured in schools.
The minister said providing proper shelter and other essential facilities at schools is necessary to protect children from extreme heat. He also called for additional funding for education from the federal government’s annual Rs1,200 billion Public Sector Development Programme (PSDP).
Shah further said that millions of children are being educated through community-based centres. However, the lack of an increase in funding over the past three years has created additional challenges. Rising inflation has also pushed up the operating costs of these educational centres.
He added that salaries and pensions should be separated from Sindh’s Rs480 billion education budget, while details of operational and non-operational expenditures should also be made public.
