NAUNDERO:The claims of Sindh government for giving free education across Sindh were thrown in the dustbin when authorities of Government Girls, Boys colleges and Higher Secondary Schools, both male and female, continued to charge each poor student Rs30 to Rs300 in the name of examination fee and the education department bosses and Board of Intermediate and Secondary Education (BISE) remained either unaware or have sealed their mouths, credible sources told PPI Thursday.
Authorities of Shaheed Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto Girls Degree College are charging Rs30 per student as examination fee, Government Boys Degree College charging Rs 60 per student and Government Girls Higher Secondary School is charging Rs300 per student along with Boys Higher Secondary School which the poor parent have termed open corruption in the name of examination fee. Boys and girls are given different excuses that they don’t have a budget for photocopies, for submitting forms to BISE Larkana etc. whereas BISE has officially fixed Rs30 as form fee.
On the other hand, a citizen Aijaz Mirani made a complaint with assistant commissioner, Ratodero and District Education Officer (Secondary and Higher Secondary), Larkana, against highhandedness of the school and college administration. The AC has fixed the hearing date of his complaint on Friday, Feb 12.
In this connection, Mirani told media persons on Thursday that his two children are studying in class XI, one son and another daughter and Rs 300 had been charged from his daughter by Girls Higher Secondary School officials whereas boys college authorities had charged Rs60.
He said he made a telephonic complaint to DEO Akhtar Hussain Korejo but he did not reply satisfactorily, hence, he made a complaint to the AC Ratodero. He said education is free up to class XII in Sindh, then why fee is charged from the students on any pretext. He said this corruption must be eliminated and those involved should be taken to task as it is bringing a bad name to the rulers and also negating the existing policies.
He also urged the anti-corruption establishment and NAB to take notice and launch an inquiry. Meanwhile, Principal, Girls College Fahim Akhtar Ansari, was unaware of the fee and its charging and said that she will inform after confirmation from the clerk. However, she confirmed that BISE had allowed charging of Rs30 only for which they had issued a letter, she added.