Balochistan Approves Major Education Reforms to Boost Literacy, End ‘Mat Culture’ in Schools

QUETTA: The Balochistan government has decided to introduce comprehensive policy reforms aimed at improving the education sector and increasing literacy rates across the province, following a high-level meeting chaired by Chief Minister Mir Sarfraz Bugti.

The meeting approved a series of reform measures related to education, health, and law and order, while also reaching consensus on a reform agenda to be incorporated into the upcoming provincial budget.

Among the key decisions, the government agreed to declare primary schools “gender-free,” allowing boys and girls to receive basic education in the same school. It was also decided to abolish the mandatory school uniform requirement at the primary level. The proposed policy is expected to be presented before the provincial cabinet in its next meeting.

To improve literacy rates, authorities approved the introduction of double-shift teaching in 900 schools across the province. The meeting also agreed to significantly increase the fixed salaries of teachers working under the National Commission for Human Development (NCHD), which had remained largely unchanged for several years.

Officials further decided to introduce standardized reading and writing materials in all government schools across Balochistan to ensure uniformity in educational standards.

During the briefing, Chief Secretary Shakeel Qadir Khan informed participants that additional classrooms would be constructed in 3,000 single-room schools across the province by next year to improve learning conditions.

The meeting also approved the complete elimination of the “mat culture” in government schools, under which many students currently sit on floor mats during classes. Chief Minister Bugti announced that desks would be provided to every active government school in the province.

Directing the Schools Education Department to take immediate steps, the Chief Minister said it was regrettable that children in Balochistan were still studying while seated on mats despite significant changes and advancements around the world.

“No child will sit on a mat. Every student in every school will study while seated at a desk,” Bugti stated, emphasizing the government’s commitment to improving the learning environment.

The Chief Minister further announced that he would personally inspect schools in remote areas and could land a helicopter in any mountainous or isolated region to conduct surprise visits and assess conditions on the ground.

He warned that strict action would be taken if any child was found sitting on a mat after the stipulated implementation period.

Addressing the meeting, Mir Sarfraz Bugti stressed that promoting children’s self-confidence, dignity, and self-respect was the need of the hour, adding that the government was determined to provide students with a more respectable and conducive educational environment.