Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah has approved sweeping reforms in the education sector, including the abolition of redundant administrative posts, the introduction of facial recognition for attendance tracking, and a plan to enroll one million out-of-school children.
Chairing a high-level meeting on school education, Murad Ali Shah emphasized foundational learning and early childhood education while endorsing the decentralization of financial and administrative powers to headmasters.
The meeting, attended by Education Minister Syed Sardar Shah and other top officials, also approved digitization efforts to improve monitoring and evaluation systems across schools.
The provincial government will implement facial recognition technology to track teachers’ and students’ attendance, streamlining management across 40,990 schools in Sindh.
The CM also approved cutting unnecessary bureaucratic layers by eliminating multiple District Education Officer (DEO) posts, reducing Taluka Education Officers (TEOs), and appointing a single Director of School Education per division.
To bridge gaps in post-primary education, four model schools will be established in every taluka, with a goal of transforming 600 high schools into model institutions by 2028-29.
Additionally, the government will introduce second shifts in primary schools to facilitate smooth transitions into secondary education.
Murad Ali Shah approved a school-specific budget, empowering headmasters to ensure access to essential facilities such as water, sanitation, washrooms, and solar power. He also sanctioned the upgrade of 1,600 primary schools to secondary schools, enhancing their infrastructure.
Highlighting skill development, the CM endorsed Middle Tech and Matric Tech initiatives, along with STREAM (Science, Technology, Religion, Engineering, Arts, Mathematics) and Skills Labs in post-primary schools.
Continuous Professional Development (CPD) training for teachers and the implementation of a teaching license system were also approved. With 19,808 schools damaged in the 2022 floods, including 4,089 under reconstruction, the CM directed officials to accelerate rebuilding efforts.
The damage has affected the enrollment of 2.3 million students, further intensifying the need for urgent action.
Murad Ali Shah reaffirmed his commitment to improving the education sector, setting an ambitious target to enroll one million out-of-school children in the coming year.
“We need to ensure every child in Sindh has access to quality education,” he stated.
