NAWABSHAH, April 30: At least 738 boys and girls primary schools out of a total 2109 remain closed in Nawabshah district, revealed a survey conducted by a team constituted by the District Nazim in collaboration with the Education Department.

The primary schools, including the branch schools, were closed as many of them were constructed without any feasibility and on political grounds in the past knowing that there was no population nearby.

Some schools were converted into Otaqs and godowns of influential landlords and no action has so far been taken either by the district or by the Sindh government. In some cases, there were 3 to 4 schools in a village, constructed without any feasibility where the number of students was much less.

A good number of teachers were either transferred or got themselves transferred on political grounds to schools in city or town areas which also became the reason for closure of these school in rural areas.

Syed Munir Shah, Chairman of District Accounts Committee, Abdul Rasool Brohi, Chairman of District Education Monitoring Committee, were directed by the Dsitrict Nazim to conduct a survey of the primary schools in all four talukas of the district to ascertain the actual position of closed schools.

Earlier, many unauthenticated figures were provided by District Education Department and the National Commission for Human Development (NCHD).

The figure collected by this correspondent from the committee revealed that out of 639 boys and girls schools in Sakrand taluka, more than 93 boys and 58 girls schools were closed.

In Nawabshah taluka, there were 302 boys and 61 girls schools out of which 75 boys and 26 girls schools were closed.

In Daulatpur taluka, a total of 527 boys and 126 girls schools existed, out of which 111 boys and 55 girls were closed. In

Daur taluka, there were 786 boys and 102 girls schools out of which 260 boys and 60 girls schools were closed. The report would be submitted to the District Nazim within three days.

When contacted, the District Officer Education (elementary), Saeeda Panhwar, maintained that the survey was conducted to ascertain an actual and proper figure of closed schools.

She said that schools, which could not be operational due to a number of reasons, would be separated from the list and then a strategy would be chalked out to reopen these schools.

Abdul Rasool Brohi, Chairman of the District Education Committee and Nazim of UC Gupchani, said a detailed survey was necessary to ascertain the actual figure of closed schools as the District Nazim and the council was not satisfied with the figures provided through different sources.

Syed Munir Shah, Chairman of the District Accounts Committee and Nazim of UC Pir Zakri, said that the Education Department officials were not providing the exact figure after which the District Nazim decided to carry out a survey.

He said that the District Nazim, Ms Faryal Talpur, in the light of these facts, would form a strategy in consultation with the Education Department to make the schools operational.

Ms Faryal Talpur said that she would seek assistance of the National Commission on Human Development (NCHD) to reopen the closed schools in the district.

BOOKED: The Nawabshah police have booked five growers in water theft case, on Monday. Surveyor Nusrat Irrigation Division Nawabshah, Zulfiqar Ali Khoso, lodged an FIR at Gupchani police station stating that Ali Raza Bhangwar, Janu Keerio, Syed Ghous Mohammed Shah, Nabidad Brohi and Zafar Ahmed were stealing water from module 1-CR and 1- DL. No arrest was made till the filing of this report.