A High School with Just One Student

Posted on September 3, 2006
Filed Under >Raza Rumi, Education
10 Comments
Total Views: 23577

Guest Post by Raza Rumi

ATP has articulated the problems with Pakistan’s education policies and trends in the past (here, for example).

I recently came across this little piece published yesterday in the Pakistani newspaper The Daily Times and I thought this is a fit sequel to ATP’s concern on education.

Just one student in class 10

AHMEDPUR EAST: Only one student is studying in the 10th class of Government MC High School, Ahmedpur East, while 17 students are in the 9th class. The10th class student is studying science subjects but none of the other student in class nine is studying them.

The Govt MC High School was earlier run by the municipal committee and Tehsil Muncipal Administration and is now under the district government of Bahawalpur. Chaudhry Tariq Bashir Cheema, district nazim, Bahawalpur, inspected the school in 2001 and had promised to build a boundary wall for the school, but he did not fulfil his promise despite the lapse of five years. Educational circles have demanded the Punjab chief minister and the education minister to take notice of the situation.

Where do we go from here. Notwithstanding the progress that Pakistan has made in the recent years, its neglect of the education sector will have long term costs. Little wonder that the evident failure of formal school system is giving way to the proliferation of madrassahs. Southern Punjab has turned into a hotbed of sectarianism. A report on madrassahs aptly notes:

Ahmedpur East sub district is in the Province of Punjab in Pakistan, the region has gained notoriety for being hub of sectarian terrorism and violence.

We can only hope that this situation will change for the better!

Raza Rumi is an international development professional. More can be found at Raza Rumi’s blog: Jahane Rumi.

10 responses to “A High School with Just One Student”

  1. Raza Rumi says:

    Dear Roshan, Farrukh and Rabia

    Thanks for adding more substance to the ongoing debate. This was a stark case though not an uncommon nor an isolated one. There is a serious crisis unfolding with respect t o the state of education particulary in the remote areas and for those who cannot afford private education ‘products’. This is not just about the growth of madrassahs but millions deprived of opportunity and vocation.

    And, alas Farukh, drawing room based chattering classes continue to rant without doing much. It is cliched to say that those who make and implement policies never send their kids to public sector schools..

    There are no easy solutions either except making this priority number one if we have to survive as a successful nation!

    …and what a beautiful reference to Kh Ghulam Fareed – whose poetry epitomizes the rooh of rohi and cholistan. Great idea for my next post):

  2. eteraz says:

    yaaro

    im loving your freaking website. such a cool design. and great topics. dhol, donkeys, and marriage. how much more pakistani can you get. seriously, please keep up the good work. i’ve been dying for a great pakistan website and this might be it.

    if i might request, can you please provide a recording of ataullah khan eesa khailvi’s “zikr jab chirr gaya uun ki angrai ka”

    it used to be available at pakistanimusic but is no longer!

  3. Farrukh says:

    Thanks keeping the education issue alive. This and the previous post highlight the neglect of the real issues that Pakistanis face while we ALL get so excited about ‘drawing room’ politics. I purposely used the word ALL. Even here on thie site we all get so excited about global issues and political hot patatoes that we can do nothing about and continue to ignore things like education and state of children where we could actually make a difference if we wanted to.

    Iss hamam mein hum sab nangay hain.

  4. Rabia Bashir says:

    [quote comment=”2094″]Education in Pakistan is a huge debating issue and it really needs to be highlighted in a best possible way. Starting from villages to smaller towns and then in cities, educational institutes need several reforms (that are apparently missing from the “To Do List” of the concerned authorities). Illiteracy is the root cause of so many problems that we are facing today and will continue to face in the times to come.

    I mean what we as a Nation expect our future to be when the number of children in our country that have been deprived of education runs in millions. Educational standards need to get higher and syllabi carefully revised. There may be tons of suggestions but we need a strong, able and concerned “Ministry of Education” in order to implement such reforms. Keep all other issues aside, we can’t go on assuming a better Pakistan and ignoring education at the same time.[/quote]

  5. Roshan Malik says:

    Rumi Sb,

    Southern Punjab has been neglected by almost all our governments. Even the situation in Cholistan (near Ahmedpur East) is worst as the people do not have access to education, health, drinking water and other development infrastructures.

    Bahawalpur (State) was considered as a hub of education after Lahore. The Late Nawab Sadiq Abbasi (the Last Ruler of Bahawalpur State) was a passionate promoter of education who established a large number of schools, colleges, university, library in various parts of the State.
    Unfortunately the land of Khawja Ghulam Farid (famous Seraikee Poet) is getting barren intellectually.

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