DADU, Feb 4: As many as 500 primary schools remain closed and 2,000 ghost teachers regularly receive salary in Dadu district, according to a survey.

The survey was conducted by officials of the district revenue department under the supervision of an inspection team constituted by the Sindh chief minister. The survey was ordered in response to the directives of President Asif Ali Zardari to the Sindh chief minister regarding closed schools in Sindh.

The survey report said that most of the closed schools situated in far-flung areas were being used as Otaqs (guest houses) by influential landlords.

The report said that 500 schools remained closed in Dadu district, of them 118 in Dadu taluka, 109 in Khairpur Nathan Shah, 94 in Mehar and 179 in Johi taluka.

However, contradicting the findings of the survey, EDO (education) Sajan Mallah has rejected the report. He claimed that the revenue team had visited many schools after teaching hours and those schools were listed as closed schools. He said that teachers did not attend classes at many schools and the team had included such schools in the list of closed schools.

Quoting the findings of a similar report compiled by the education department, he said that only 162 schools remained closed in Dadu district, of them 100 ghost schools were situated in Kachho.

The EDO said that he had not received the report of the revenue officials as yet, but he would follow the report of revenue officials and would take action against education department’s officials.

He said that salaries of 200 teachers, belonging to NGOs and social welfare organisations and not performing duty, had been stopped.

He said that he had received reports about some teachers doing double jobs, and warned that such teachers would be removed from service.

He said that School Management Committee funds at the rate of Rs210 per student had been released by the Asian Development Bank for repair and purchase of furniture for schools in district.