DADU, Sept 5: Scores of villagers and activists of nationalist parties took out a procession in Johi town, 30 kilometres from here on Wednesday, in protest against ghost schools and absentee teachers in remote villages of the Dadu district.

Addressing the protesters, Sindh United Party leader Ghulam Qadir Leghari said that about 150 primary schools for boys and girls were non-functional in Kachho belt, the most backward area of the district. As a result, over 3,000 children were deprived of their right to education, he said.

He said that landlords had converted school buildings into guest houses and godowns, mostly in villages in the union councils of Pat Gul Mohammad, Sawro, Drigh Bala, Wahi Pandhi, Chhinni and Tando Rahim Khan.

He accused education officials and landlords of embezzling funds of school management committees and warned if the schools were not made functional within 15 days they would launch a protest campaign against education officials.

Ali Hassan Birhamani of Sindh Taraqqi Pasand Party said that teachers were getting salaries every month while sitting cosy at their homes after having paid bribes to their supervisors.

Mumtaz Leghari of Put Gul Mohammad village said the poor villagers could not afford heavy fees of private schools and appealed to education minister to take notice of ghost teachers and make closed schools functional.

Hero Khan of the same village said that landlords had taken away furniture from schools to their homes and guest houses.

District officer of education, Mohammad Safar Kachhar, said that sub-divisional education officer found all schools functioning in Johi during a visit. He found only three teachers absent who had been suspended, he said.

Sindh Education Minister Pir Mazharul Haq told Dawn on phone that he had directed the district officer to take action against ghost teachers and make closed schools functional. He would take action against officers if the schools were not opened, he said.