Caretaker Sindh Chief Minister Justice (retd) Maqbool Baqar, in a joint meeting of the School and College education departments, approved the release of Rs1 billion for the printing of textbooks and directed the college department to develop a digital monitoring system for all colleges. The funds aim to ensure the availability of textbooks for all students, addressing the issue of a 20 percent shortfall.
In the meeting, the issue of teacher attendance and teaching activities in colleges was discussed. The Secretary of College Education, Sadaf Anees, briefed the CM on the development of a monitoring and inspection system for colleges. Acknowledging concerns about absent teachers, the CM directed the secretary to establish a digital monitoring system to ensure the presence of teachers and their active involvement in educational activities.
Justice Baqar expressed dissatisfaction with the shortage of subject teachers in colleges, particularly in science, math, and English. He instructed the secretary to rationalize the teaching staff in each college and address shortages by redistributing surplus teachers. The CM emphasized the need to collect data on chronically absent lecturers and forward their cases to the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) for necessary action.
The meeting covered various aspects of college education, including the total number of colleges, enrolment figures, and the Sindh Educational Endowment Fund. The CM urged the activation of inspection systems for colleges, emphasizing personal visits to assess infrastructure, teacher attendance, and overall cleanliness.
Additionally, plans were discussed to start online classes in colleges where teachers couldn’t be physically present for valid reasons. The Minister of Education and Secretary of College Education assured the CM that transfer and posting decisions would be based on genuine needs, and overstaffed colleges would be rationalized. The focus was on ensuring the effective functioning of educational institutions and promoting a conducive learning environment.
