Karachi, In a move to enhance the quality of schooling in Sindh, especially in rural and underprivileged areas, the Sindh government is urged to collaborate with dedicated non-profit educational organizations. This call for public-private partnerships was made by Younus Dagha, the Caretaker Sindh Revenue, Industries, and Commerce Minister, during a ceremony honoring students from non-profit Green Crescent Trust (GCT) schools who excelled in their matriculation examinations.
According to Green Crescent Trust, Dagha praised GCT’s achievements in establishing 166 charitable schools over the past 29 years, serving over 31,799 students from deprived families in Sindh. He highlighted that the government should emulate the successful model of GCT to improve the state-run schooling system, suggesting a partnership that could provide quality education in remote and rural areas of the province.
Dagha pointed out that despite the government spending Rs 3,000 to Rs 3,500 per month per student, the quality of education does not match that of committed non-profits like GCT, which spends much less per student. He urged non-governmental organizations in the education sector to include vocational training and IT learning in their curricula to help Pakistan overcome its skilled workforce shortage.
Additionally, Caretaker Law Minister Barrister Muhammad Umar Soomro and Additional Chief Secretary Interior Muhammad Iqbal Memon, who attended the ceremony as guests of honor, emphasized the importance of the government uplifting its schooling network inspired by the success of charities like GCT. They advised students to continue their hard work in studies to contribute meaningfully to Pakistan’s development.
GCT CEO, Zahid Saeed, in his welcome remarks, called for immediate action to enroll around eight million out-of-school children in Sindh aged between four and 16. He criticized the provincial government for its inability to provide basic academic and infrastructure facilities despite significant expenditure.
The ceremony, held at the auditorium of the Sindh Boy Scouts Complex in Karachi, recognized the academic achievements of students from GCT schools in backward areas of Sindh. Certificates of appreciation and gifts were presented to 112 students who passed the SSC examinations with distinction. The students expressed their gratitude to the philanthropists and donors supporting quality schooling for children from deprived families in Sindh.
Younus Dagha, reiterating the importance of technical and vocational education from the seventh standard, emphasized the need for public-private partnerships between the government and educational institutions like GCT for promoting education in Sindh.