KARACHI: Jamaat-e-Islami’s Karachi Chief, Monem Zafar Khan has criticized the PPP’s Sindh government for its poor handling of the education sector, labelling its actions as “disastrous”.
Speaking at a press conference at Idara Noor-e-Haq on Wednesday, he vowed that JI will resist the PPP’s continued neglect and exploitation of the education system. He highlighted the dire state of education in Sindh, pointing out that lecturers in 17 public universities have been boycotting classes for a week while students protest unmet demands.
He criticized recent legislation allowing bureaucrats to serve as vice chancellors, replacing the longstanding requirement for PhDs. He argued that the law undermines the role of a vice chancellor as a leader of academic bodies, saying, “A bureaucrat is not qualified to oversee the academic and administrative responsibilities of a university.” He also condemned the appointment of contract teachers in universities, emphasizing the need for permanent faculty to ensure academic stability.
About the state of school education, the JI leader revealed that 7.3 million children in Sindh are out of school with a dropout rate of 46 percent before secondary level. He noted the imbalance between 36,000 public primary schools and just 4,000 secondary schools, a gap he blamed on PPP’s mismanagement.
He further slammed the government for failing to provide boundary walls for 2,980 schools with the education minister dismissively calling it “natural education.” He decried discrepancies in first-year intermediate results, pointing out that Karachi students have faced significantly lower pass rates as compared to other areas in Sindh. He recalled that last year, following JI’s activism, a committee led by NED University Vice Chancellor Dr. Sarosh Lodhi was formed to investigate similar issues. Despite the committee’s findings and recommendations, those responsible were promoted instead of being held accountable.
He called on Sindh Chief Minister, Syed Murad Ali Shah, who oversees universities and boards, to clarify the status of the committee report and explain why no concrete actions were taken.
Monem accused the government of running educational institutions on nepotism, citing the appointment of a parliamentarian’s relative as Board of Intermediate Education Karachi (BIEK) secretary and another relative leading the inquiry committee into recent irregularities.
He also criticized the rejection of JI’s MPA, Muhammad Farooq’s resolution in the Sindh Assembly advocating for students unions elections. “Students unions are the nurseries of democracy,” he stated, accusing the PPP of following authoritarian practices by denying students their democratic rights.
Monem announced that Karachi students will walk to the Sindh Assembly today to demand their rights. He also pledged JI’s continued support for both students and university teachers in their fight against government mismanagement.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2025
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