State-run girls schools lack basic facilities

Source: Express Tribune

Date: February 8, 2011

ISLAMABAD: The majority of the state-run girls’ primary schools across the country lack sanitary staff and clean drinking water facilities.

This was revealed by a country-wide survey of government primary schools for girls by the Free and Fair Election Network’s (FAFEN) Education Monitor division.

The survey monitored 137 primary schools for girls in 87 districts across the country. It was revealed that sanitary workers were not present in 72 per cent of the monitored schools, while 49 per cent of the monitored schools did not provide clean drinking water facilities to children, putting them at risk of water-borne diseases.

Transparency surfaced as a major issue during the survey as 20 schools did not provide information about the sanctioned teaching posts, while 66 refused to provide information about their non-teaching staff. Information on teacher and student attendance, on the day of the FAFEN observer’s visit, was also withheld by some schools. The survey revealed that seven per cent of the total sanctioned teaching posts and 13 per cent of the sanctioned non-teaching posts in these schools were lying vacant. The highest number of unoccupied teaching and non-teaching posts were observed in Sindh, which were nine per cent and 22 per cent respectively.

Nationwide, the average number of students per teacher came out to be 34. The highest number of student per teacher ratio was observed in Fata, where one teacher was appointed to 45 students on average. The lowest student per teacher ratio was observed in Sindh, where one teacher was expected to teach 27 students.

For more details click on link: http://tribune.com.pk/story/115528/state-run-girls-schools-lack-basic-facilities/