HYDERABAD: The children of brick kiln workers held a protest against closure of their schools and staged `Ehtijaji school` outside the press club on Monday, demanding the government open their schools immediately and eliminate corruption from the Sindh Education Foundation (SEF).

The Society for the Protection of Rights of Child (Sparc) organised the protest in which the children were reading aloud `P for protest` and `C for corruption` and Humein dushman kay bachhay samajh kar parhaya jaye (1each us treating us as the children of enemies).

The protesting children belonged to Azad Nagar Hari Camp, brick kiln schools of Tando Ghulam Mohammad and Jamali Colony in Tando Hyder.

The All Sindh Bhatta Mazdoor Ittehad president Punhoon Bheel told reporters that of around 10,000 brick kilns in Sindh, only 1,300 had been registered but none had any educational facilities for their children.

He lauded the services of Sparc head Kashif Bajir who helped open three schools in Tando Hyder, Hyderabad district, with the help of the SEF.

The schools were opened six months ago at Azad Nagar Hari camp, Tando Ghulam Muhammad and Jamali Colony Tando Hyder in Tando Hyder, where 1,200 children of brick kiln labourers were getting education.

But all of a sudden, the schools were closed two months ago on the pretext of want of funds, he said, adding that when the school operators failed to pay commission to the SEF officials, the schools were closed.

Sparc`s Kashif Bajir termed Sindh a graveyard of school buildings which were built to please voters only.

The SEF was the last hope to save sinking boat of education but it too had fallen prey to corruption.