Sindh Education and Literacy Minister Dr Hamida Khuhro has hinted at bringing about changes in the syllabus of primary schools so as English could be taught in primary classes along with mother tongues--Sindhi and Urdu.
Talking to newsmen at Circuit House here on Sunday during her four-day visit to Larkana, she said that a 'syllabus committee' has been constituted to bring about necessary changes in the syllabus of primary schools to make room for English.
She said that introduction of English in primary classes would certainly enhance the efficiency of students in English which would be beneficial for computer literacy and technical education which has become the demand of the day and would help the growing generations to ensure a bright future.
Hamida said that a monitoring system would also be introduced so as the teachers and the taught could become regular and punctual and the menace of ghost teachers is eliminated.
'Besides, it has also been decided to extend financial assistance to students whose attendance will be more than 80 percent,' she added.
She said that the government was also providing free textbooks to students from class I to V.
The Minister said all-out efforts were being undertaken to make the students more and more interested in their studies and in this regard handsome cash prizes are given to students who show good results in Education Boards` results of Intermediate annual examinations. 'These prizes are given under programme 2003," she added.
She said that the World Bank would assist and provide funds for the monitoring system like Punjab which is being introduced in the educational institutions of Sindh, aiming at tending the teachers and the taught towards regularity and punctuality. She said that a task force is being set up to deal with the problem of ghost teachers and habitual absentees.
The Minister said that it should be made mandatory for government employees to send their kids to government schools, and added that it was the right of the parents to put their children in a school or college they liked. However, the schools being run under public administration should improve their standard of working to compete with schools running privately.
She reiterated that technical education must be given importance to meet the challenges of modern times. About teachers' unions, she said that co-operation from public and parents was vital in this connection, so as the teachers should not involve themselves in politics during duty hours, but concentrate on the education of the students, "as our concern is the education of the student which should not be harmed at any cost".
About Sindh Textbook Board, she said that efforts were afoot that course books be published on time. She said that teaching of languages would be at primary level, but first priority would be to mother tongue, and the private schools would also be directed to teach mother tongue.
Dr Hamida said that junior officers would be replaced by senior teachers, gradually, and the system of detailment and deputation would also be discouraged, "but sometimes it becomes necessary".
In reply to a question about issuance of Identity Cards to aliens, she said that she was opposed illegal immigrants and did not support fake documents. "Everything should go according to law of the country," she added.