LARKANA:The major administrative posts of education department in entire Larkana district are lying vacant since past several months. These posts are not being filled due to political interference, ignoring merit and good governance despite imposition of education emergency in Sindh.
The post of Director Education is vacant since last 23 days after the retirement of Razia Pathan on December 31, 2018 and Deputy Director Abdul Ghaffar Mahar is looking after the charge. Reliable sources said that Mahar was not being posted as Director because he belongs to GDA leader and MNA Ghous Bux Mahar.
As many as 12 posts of Taluka Education Officers (TEO) are lying vacant out of 15 in the district except Larkana, Dokri, Ratodero and Bakrani where non-gazetted junior officers have been posted to look after the charge in sheer violation of apex court orders.
The TEO Primary of Larkana, TEO Primary Dokri male, TEO Primary female of Dokri and TEO Secondary Bakrani are filled but other posts in Larkana district are vacant or improper people have been posted to look after the respective charges which is banned by the law. Non-gazetted Abid Tagar is posted as TEO Primary male and Subject Specialist Abida Soomro has been posted as TEO female on political grounds.
Subject Specialists (SSs) were appointed for teaching specific subjects to the students to improve standard of education but Sindh Government is posting them on administrative posts ruing the quality of education willfully for which parents have demanded that SSs be posted to teach the students only those subjects in which they claim they have required expertise as they have been appointed for the same purpose.
Rais Ahmed Abbasi is posted as TEO Secondary in Bakrani and he is also looking after the charge of TEO female as well. Non-gazetted Rasul Bux Jessar is posted as TEO primary male and he is also looking after the charge of TEO female. Non-gazetted Mumtaz Soomro is posted as TEO primary male in Larkana whereas posts of TEO secondary male and TEO primary female are lying vacant.
Posting of non-gazetted and non-cadre officers on administrative posts has already destroyed the entire education system in Sindh specially Larkana and has also generated massive corruption apart from gaining personal benefits which must be probed.
It is also learnt that Secretary Education had posted four proper TEOs in the district but after nine days their posting orders were withdrawn and non-gazetted people were directed to look after the charge. Gazetted officer Badaruddin Samejo was posted as TEO Bakrani but he was not given the charge due to massive political interference.
District Education Officer Nawab Khokhar when contacted on Friday claimed that all is well and the education is going on in a smooth way in Larkana and there is no issue in the district at the moment. He confessed that there is acute shortage of proper hands for which he has written to the Sindh Government to post proper gazetted officers on gazetted posts to improve quality of education in the district.