The Baloch Students Action Committee (BSAC) has described Balochistan’s declining literacy and deteriorating education system as an “educational crisis”, saying a field survey of more than 55 schools across at least 11 districts found 24 completely closed.
In a statement marking International Literacy Day on Sept. 8, BSAC said the occasion was observed worldwide to discuss literacy rates and develop new ideas for improving education.
The organisation said UNESCO declared International Literacy Day in 1966 to highlight the importance of literacy and encourage educational reforms through a global programme addressing low literacy rates.
While several countries had taken measures to improve literacy following the initiative, BSAC said Balochistan’s education system continued to deteriorate, with declining literacy contributing to a deepening crisis.
According to the statement, a team working under BSAC’s “Baloch Literacy Campaign” visited more than 55 schools across at least 11 districts this year and documented serious problems at many of them.
Of the schools surveyed, 24 were completely closed and categorised as “ghost schools”, while 29 were operating but faced severe problems and were classified as partially functional, the statement said.
BSAC added that it had received information from four areas where no schools existed. At schools that remained open, teachers were either absent or had allegedly appointed unqualified substitutes to teach in their place.
The statement said many school buildings were in poor condition and lacked clean drinking water, toilets, desks and other basic facilities. In Kahan, Kohlu, alone, it said 55 schools appeared in official records but had no functioning presence on the ground.
BSAC said its findings indicated that Balochistan’s literacy rate had declined again this year rather than improved. It added that the enrolment of some children and the reopening of a limited number of schools had produced no significant improvement when measured against population growth.
Referring to remarks by the provincial education minister, the organisation said the minister had told the Balochistan Assembly that the region had 16 universities but faced serious difficulties operating them because of limited resources.
BSAC said the remarks suggested that the government neither intended to establish new schools, colleges and universities nor was taking substantial measures to improve existing institutions.
The organisation urged the government to treat the deteriorating literacy rate and lack of quality education as an educational crisis, develop effective programmes and policies, and take practical steps to improve literacy and establish a better education system.