QUETTA: More than 3,500 schools in Balochistan are non-functional due to a shortage of teachers, the provincial education department has disclosed.

In a written reply to a query posed by a Balochistan Assembly member, the department revealed that 542 schools have been closed since the new government took power in February, taking the total number of non-functional girls and boys schools to 3,694 in all 35 districts.

However, the reply could not be presented in the house as the questioner was absent from the session, and the query was deferred till the next meeting.

Currently, there are 15,096 government schools in the province, with 48,841 teachers.

Around 16,000 posts of academic staff vacant across the province

According to the breakdown, the districts with the highest number of non-functional schools are Pishin (254), Khuzdar (251), Kalat (179), Qila Saifullah (179), Barkhan (174), Awaran (161) and Quetta (152).

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In Dera Bugti, the hometown of Chief Minister Sarfaraz Bugti, 13 schools are closed due to the shortage of academic staff.

The documents showed that the province is currently facing a shortage of around 16,000 teachers.

Recently, the government has made efforts to fill the vacant posts and started the recruitment of 9,496 teachers.

In Pishin, 168 boys’ and 86 girls’ schools are closed, while the number in Quetta is 88 and 64, respectively.

Governor hails AIOU

Governor Balochistan Jaffar Khan Mandokhail has said the Allama Iqbal Open University (AIOU) is playing an important role in promoting modern education in Pakistan and praised the institution for its role in making higher education accessible.

While addressing the convocation of AIOU’s Quetta chapter on Sunday, the governor said students from urban and rural areas of the country are benefitting from the institution.

Governor Mandokhail said AIOU is considered to be one of the most prominent universities in the world due to its distance education system.

He said the university is “unique” in the sense that it provides education to students of all ages and classes.

Mr Mandokhail said AIOU is paving the way for the country’s bright future by using information technology to produce a skilled workforce that meets modern market demands.

During the convocation, 27 female graduates were conferred with degrees and gold medals.

AIOU Professor Dr Nasir Mahmood, teachers, graduates and their parents attended the convocation.

The governor congratulated the new graduates and their parents and said the convocation is a “testament to your success, dedication and perseverance”.

He also appreciated the vice chancellor and his team and said he has high expectations from the institution to continue imparting education and skills.

Published in Dawn, September 9th, 2024