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The Sindh education department dismissed eight teachers at different public schools over their absence from their jobs for the past two years. Although they had been living abroad, they kept drawing salaries from their institutions. The education officers are trying to identify more ghost teachers to improve the education system in Sindh.

The education department has released a list of ghost employees at different schools in the region, following which 79 employees will be suspended. These employees include 8 high school teachers, 8 junior schoolteachers, 10 primary school teachers, 4 Sindhi language teachers and 2 headmasters, as well as non-teaching staff. The Sindh Education Department said that all the employees belonging to schools in Karachi have been absent from school for 8 months but were receiving a salary.

An official of the Basic Education Community Schools from South Punjab was caught selling around 3,500 textbooks. He also blackmailed teachers in Pakpattan and Okara into paying him between Rs1,000-Rs1,500 for the delivery of books to the education warehouse. Reports state teachers complained several times to relevant education authorities but received no response.

Government schools in the Manghopir area of Karachi are in dilapidated condition. School buildings are deprived of water, electricity, and other basic amenities. In the Government Boys Primary School Haji Mehmood Goth in Sarmastani Mohalla there is only one teacher for 137 children. Despite the biometric system, the rest of the teachers have been receiving their salaries at home for the last two years.

Sindh Education Curriculum Department has decided to shut down 10,000 “not viable” or inactive schools across the province. The Supreme Court has issued orders to shut down ghost schools and act against teachers who have been receiving salaries without performing their duties.

A social activist alleged that large-scale corruption was being carried out in the District Education Office and nine girls’ schools in Bazgarha, Kamarkhel are locked. Dozens of female teachers of these closed schools are still receiving salaries at home, but paying a considerable portion of their salaries as a bribe to specific frontmen of the District Education Office. According to local sources, this practice of mismanagement is continuing since 2015.

The Anti-Corruption Establishment (ACE) arrested three secondary school teachers for their involvement in taking bribes and making fake appointments based on fake degrees in the Punjab Education Department. Some influential political figures have made efforts to obtain the release of arrested teachers, but have failed due to ACE’s investigation into this issue.

The elementary and secondary education department has terminated the services of 104 teachers and other employees in the merged tribal districts for securing jobs on fake degrees or absenting themselves from duty for a long time during the last two decades. The department of education will examine the academic degrees and certificates of all employees in tribal districts.

Sindh Anti-Corruption Establishment has found corruption and misuse of authority in Sindh Education Department district Jacobabad involving illegal inducting of hundreds of fake teachers, getting illegal financial benefits in the name of fake employees’ retirement, pension and death claims from department and life insurance company. The investigation continues after the fraud of millions of rupees has been reported, as well as the illegal role and abuse of authority from officers of the Education and Finance Departments.

In order to fight corruption and discourage private schools to operate a cartel, the Supreme Court in Pakistan has not allowed an increase in school fees of more than 5% per year. Many directors of private schools took money from parents for security deposits and admission fees and earned profits on that money. An Auditor General report highlighted how in public schools some teachers received very good salaries, but they were not doing justice to what they receive while teachers in private schools earned far less amount but they perform better.