78% of Balochistan schools have no drinking water facility
Education Desk :
QUETTA: In Balochistan, over 78 % of government-run schools have no drinking water facility. As per the documents of the education department obtained by Quetta Voice, 11,795 schools have no drinking water facility in Balochistan.
The number of government-run primary, middle and high schools in the province is 14,979, the data revealed. Most of the primary schools have no drinking water supply for the children studying in far-flung areas of Balochistan.
“We are trying to provide basic facilities to schools”, Sher Khan Bazai, the Secretary of education Balochistan said. He said the provision of water, power supply, and construction of boundary walls was a priority of the department.
The number of primary schools is 12,218 in Balochistan
The data shows that the number of primary schools is 12,218, middle 1,519, high schools 1,123, and high secondary schools 119. The number of non-functional/ghost schools across Balochistan is around 3,200, the former secretary education Balochistan, Ghulam Ali Baloch earlier revealed.
The Balochistan government has recently recruited over 9,000 teachers to overcome the shortage of teachers and make non-functional schools functional. “Teachers would be preferably posted in non-functional schools”, Sardar Yar Muhammad Rind, the Balochistan education minister said.
Education department spends most of its budget on salaries of teachers
The education department spends most of its budget on the salaries of teachers rather than the development of the sector. “The education development budget is less than 10 percent”, an officer of the education department said. He requested anonymity.
The Balochistan government has repeatedly announced to provide basic facilities to schools. Nonetheless, government-run schools paint a bleak picture in the province. Similarly, the number of out of school children is above 1.1 million in Balochistan. Although, the government has announced the implementation of Article 25-A of the constitution that declares education compulsory and free.
78% of Balochistan schools have no drinking water facility
