In a significant educational reform, Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah has directed the School Education Department to upgrade all primary schools to post-primary schools as part of a strategy to reintegrate 4.1 million out-of-school children in the province. According to Chief Minister Sindh, the directive came during a key meeting at the CM House with Education Minister Syed Sardar Shah and other senior officials. The policy aims to tackle the high dropout rate observed after primary school by increasing the number of post-primary schools and fostering stronger connections with cluster schools. This initiative is part of the Annual Development Plan (ADPs) and is seen as crucial for retaining students and preventing future dropouts. The meeting highlighted the severe educational challenges in Sindh, where out of 14,208,257 children, 4.1 million are currently not attending any educational institution. The Education Minister provided a breakdown of the schooling system, showing a significant disparit
y between the numbers attending primary schools (36,234) and post-primary schools (4,730), which contributes to a 54% dropout rate at the post-primary level. Further discussions focused on the provision of non-formal education for children aged 9 to 16, an area currently lacking sufficient resources. The Chief Minister announced plans to establish an Authority for non-formal education to better serve this demographic, particularly through Accelerated Learning Programs aimed at bringing non-formal education into the mainstream. The meeting also addressed the extensive damage to educational infrastructure in the province, with 19,806 schools affected, including 7,503 completely damaged. The government is seeking assistance from donor agencies for reconstruction and is prioritizing the establishment of more non-formal literacy centers across all districts. The Chief Minister expressed his intention to request additional financial support from the prime minister to focus on upgrading educational facilities, reh
abilitating flood-affected schools, and expanding non-formal education opportunities.