Sheer incompetence and callousness on the part of Sindh government has resulted in pathetic deterioration of information technology (IT) labs, established in educational institutions in the province. According to information available here, IT labs were established in 206 educational institutions-- 14 colleges, 38 higher secondary schools, and 154 higher secondary girls and boys schools in 16 districts.
The Rs 345 million project was taken in hand in 2005 and, on completion, was handed over to district governments in June 2009. The educational institutions, covered under the project, included: Karachi 14, Sukkur 13, Ghotki 13, Kairpur 13, Shikarpur 13, Jacobabad 9, Kashmore Kandhkot 4, Larkana 7, Qambar Shhahdadkot 6, Dadu 13, Naushero Feroze 13, Sanghar 14, Hyderabad 8, Mityari 3, Tando Allahyar 1, Tando Mohd Khan 1, Badin 12, Tharparkar 9, Umerkot 4, Mirpur Khas 11, Thatta 12, and Nawabshah 13.
Although 164 IT teachers were appointed on contract basis and subsequently 154 were regularised in October 2008, the costly equipment installed is almost rusting due to lack of interest and proper maintenance. Due to lack of vision of the Sindh government and misfortune of students living in the province, they are being deprived of the facility, which was designed for a better life for them.
As against the slow pace in Sindh, the Punjab government, which had started the task of equipping its youth with information technology at secondary level much later, in the second half of last year, has not only completed the project within the shortest period of 110 days but at a much larger scale equipped with latest technology.
The Sindh education department in consultation with the Pakistan Computer Bureau (PCB), Islamabad, had conceived the project and PC-1 was approved by Ecnec in its meeting held in January 2004. According to the plan, the target was to set up 206 computer labs throughout the province. Each of these fully furnished air-conditioned labs was designed to have 15 pentium, 4 computers with a server, a printer, UPS for each computer, networking equipment and educational software with a dedicated lab in-charge and computer science teacher at each school.
The project was to kick off in January 2004 and completed in December 2007 but the start of the project was delayed by a year and completion date was set to June 2009. On the other hand, Punjab government has established 4,286 labs, as compared to 206 in Sindh. The most outstanding thing in Punjab government's planning was the use of latest IT technology for computing.
Punjab government has used ultra low-cost virtual desktops instead of installation of separate personal computer (PC) for each student. This technology converts one PC into five or more independent terminals through a special device, which saved the government cost of 52,000 CPUs resulting in a saving of Rs 1.8 billion from the original estimate.
In addition, the Punjab government would save Rs 36 million over three years period on electricity bills as it consumes just one watt of electricity. What to talk of equipping and maintaining IT labs in educational institutions, Sindh government's performance appears murky in running the existing schools. According to the provincial education and literacy department, 6458 schools are still lying closed in the province.