LARKANA:The Government Secondary Teachers Association (GSTA) in a meeting held here on Friday deplored the order allegedly issued by District Education Officer (Secondary), Larkana, under which each student shall be charged Rs 40 before appearing in upcoming annual examinations.
The association’s president Bashir Ahmed Samo and other representatives Abdul Qadir Tunio, Abdul Razak Mangi, Mir Muhammad Kolachi and Qalandar Bux Abro alleged that DEO Akhtar Hussain Korejo had directed staff to charge Rs 40 from each student so that answer copies could be procured and printed for them.
They said: “There are about 170 middle, high and higher secondary schools in Larkana where approximately 29,000 students are enrolled. Last year, the same officer charged Rs 30 from every student for the same purpose despite the fact that they were allocated Rs 2.4 million for examination answer copies, but these funds were not utilized due to their negligence, hence, lapsed for which they should be taken to task.”
They said Rs 1.2 million would be earned this year by collecting Rs 40 from each poor student which would be utilized by these education bosses on their personal lavish living or misappropriated. They further said that when Sindh government had made education free up to XII class then how fee was charged in the name of printing examination answer copies adding this order would not only degrade the government steps but will also undermine the efforts of the rulers to give top priority to most vital education sector.
They demanded of the higher government authorities to ensure that education is free in the province as per their declared policy and no fee should be charged from the students.