Changes proposed in primary schools’ construction plan
The elementary and secondary education department has proposed to the provincial government to change the decades-old policy of constructing new primary schools having only two classrooms and two teachers for six classes, according to officials.
They said that the education department suggested constructing six rooms in a primary school in future instead of two rooms to provide conducive academic environment to the students.
The education department also proposed to initially appoint six teachers at a new primary school, officials said, adding the government was currently appointing only two teachers, who could not teach properly to six classes.
“If the provincial government agreed with the proposal, it will be for the first time that the new primary schools will have six rooms, a separate classroom for each grade,” said a senior official of the education department.
Though materialising the proposal would incur heavy expenses as the government would have to make three-time increase in the budget for the construction of new primary schools, he said.
The official said that currently around Rs4 million to Rs5 million were required for construction of a primary school having two rooms, a veranda and boundary wall.
The proposal was forwarded to Chief Minister Pervez Khattak for approval, he said.
“The education department will utilise about Rs12 million to construct a primary school with six rooms if the education department’s proposal is approved,” he said. He was hopeful that the chief minister would approve the proposal.
Officials said that around 100 primary schools were constructed in the province annually, having only two rooms.
Of them, 70 per cent new primary schools were for girls and 30 per cent for boys for ending disparity, they added.
“Nearly half of the primary schools have been functioning in the two-room where environment for getting education is not conducive as students of different grades are forced to sit in the same classroom,” officials in education department told Dawn.
There are 23,073 primary schools in the province including 14,963 for boys and 8110 for girls, according to official data. Out of the total primary schools, 10,318 have been functioning in two rooms including 5,878 for boys and 4,440 for girls.
Similarly, 255 primary schools are functioning in a single room including 155 for boys and 100 for girls. The data reveals that 3,030 primary schools have three rooms including 1,819 for boys and 1,211 for girls.
The number of primary schools having four rooms is 2,446 including 1,526 for boys and 920 for girls while 1,259 primary schools have five rooms including 785 for boys and 474 for girls. The number of primary schools having six rooms is 1,175 including 762 for boys and 413 for girls.
The students of six classes, from nursery to grade-5, get education in primary schools. The teachers of most of the primary schools were forced to accommodate all the students of six classes in the two rooms and a veranda, said an official.
“It is not possible for the students of different grades to sit in the same room and get proper education,” he said.
A few months ago, the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf-led provincial government launched enrolment campaign with great pump and show across the province to enroll out of school children.
“Owing to little space in the overcrowded primary schools, the education department is unable to control the dropout rate,” sources said.
Changes proposed in primary schools’ construction plan - DAWN.COM
