Syed Sardar Ali Shah, Sindh Minister for Education and Mines & Minerals, has stated that under the non-formal education strategy, out-of-school children will be given the opportunity to complete their education in a short period of time, while vocational education will also be provided.
In this respect, a Non-Formal Education Authority would be formed in Sindh, to be run in collaboration with Unicef and through a public-private partnership. He made these statements while presiding over a meeting in Karachi attended by Secretary of Education Zahid Ali Abbasi and other authorities.
According to the provincial minister, under the non-formal education strategy, a child who drops out of school will be able to complete education up to the eighth grade in four years, and over two million additional children in Sindh will be able to receive education in the next four years.
He said that Sindh is the only province in Pakistan that has not only devised a curriculum for non-formal education, but also organized course work.
He claimed that non-formal education facilities will be constructed in locations with a large number of out-of-school children for the convenience of dropouts. Shah stated that dropout is our most significant difficulty after elementary education, and that primary schools would be modernized to address this issue.
The education minister also stated that greater attention should be paid to the STEM education system in schools, with an emphasis on teaching students topics such as science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. In this sense, it is also vital to establish science shows to pique children’s interest.
He asked the Directorate of Private Schools and district education authorities to conduct science exhibitions at the district, divisional, and provincial levels so that more Sindh youngsters may showcase their skills.
He stated that we must promote our excellent things because, despite certain negative aspects and problems, we cannot hold back our positive activities. Shah, while giving instructions in a meeting with officials from the Directorate of Private Institutions, stated that there is a need to improve the mechanism for monitoring private schools; in this regard, 35 inspectors will be appointed to monitor private schools in Sindh, with two inspectors appointed in each district in Karachi.
Maria Ghanchi