KARACHI: Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah has emphasised the importance of foundational learning (FL) and early childhood care & education (ECCE).

He approved the decentralisation of financial and administrative powers to the school level for headmasters and supported the dissolution of additional or duplicate posts for town officers, district education officers (DEOs) and directors. He also stressed the importance of digitising the education department.

The directives were issued during a highlevel meeting chaired by the CM.

While reviewing school education, the CM also highlighted the significance of public-private partnerships through the Sindh Education Fund (SEF) model and E ducation Management Organisations (EMOs). These initiatives aim to bridge the gap between primary and post-pri-mary schools by enhancing existing schools and adding classrooms with essential facilities.

The meeting was attended by Education Minister Syed Sardar Shah, Chief Secretary Asif Hyder Shah, Ombudsman Sindh Sohail Rajput, PSCM Agha Wasif, Chairman of the Planning and Development (P&D) Najam Shah, Secretary of School Education Zahid Abbasi, Secretary of Finance Fayaz Jatoi and other officials.

Enrolment statistics The chief minister was informed that there are 40,990 schools in the province, including 36,300 primary schools, 2,600 elementary schools, 1,600 secondary schools and 490 higher secondary schools. Current enrollment across all schools stands at 5.2 million, comprising approximately 3.09 million boys (59 per cent) and 2.12 million girls (41pc).

The education minister reported that 7.8 million children remain out of school.

The CM set a target of enrolling one million children in schools during the next financial year. He expressed satisfaction that the girls` enrolment ratio in schools was improving.

In response to a question, CM Murad was informed that the net enrolment rate for primary education is 67pc, while for secondaryeducation, it is 22pc.

He emphasised the need to address the challenges of transitioning from primary to postprimary education by upgrading primary schools. To facilitate this transition, he approved the introduction of second shifts at elementary schools within existing primary schools, helping to bridge the gap between primary and postprimary education.

A report indicated that 19,808 schools were damaged in the 2022 floods, with 4,089 of those schools currently being reconstructed under the ADP/PSDP programmes.

Education Minister Sardar Shah told the chief minister that the damage to these schools has affected the enrollment of 2.3 million children. In response, the CM directed the education minister to expedite the reconstruction efforts for the damaged schools.

Abolition of posts In consultation with the education department, the CM decided to abolish several DEO positions at the district level, including DEO SEMIS, DEO Academics, DEO Sports and DEO Quality Assurance.

The number of taluka education officers (TEOs) will also be reduced. Instead of fourT EOs per taluka, there will now be one TE O per taluka.

Additionally, instead of having two DEOs per district (one for secondary and one for primary), there will now be one DEO per district to ensure better unity of command and administrative efficiency.

Similarly, at the divisional level, there will be only one director of school education instead of two.

The CM has decided to transform existing high schools into model schools, with four model schools to be established in each taluka to improve education quality.

By the 2025-26 academic year, approximately 150 schools will be developed as model institutions, with a total of 600 schools expected to be transformed by the end of the 2028-29 academic year.

The meeting resolved to strengthen school management committees (SMCs) by enhancing training and community engagement and decentralising powers at the school level through a clustering policy.

To build institutional capacity, the government will improve teacher training institutes such as STEDA, PITE and DCAR. The school clustering policy will be implemented across the province, with 1,656 school clusters identified.