95% of Girls’ Schools Closed in Sohbatpur as Education System Faces Severe Crisis

SOHBATPUR: The education sector in Balochistan’s Sohbatpur district is facing a serious crisis, with a recent report revealing that 95 percent of government girls’ schools are non-functional, while many operational schools lack even the most basic facilities.

According to the report, the majority of girls’ schools across various tehsils of the district remain closed. In the few institutions that are functioning, teaching activities are being carried out by substitute teachers instead of permanently appointed staff, adversely affecting the quality of education for female students.

The report also highlighted poor conditions in several boys’ schools, including Government Primary School Abdul Razzaq Golo, Government Primary School Jamal Bugti, and Government Primary School Muhammad Amin Khoso, which are deprived of essential facilities.

Students at these schools reportedly do not have access to clean drinking water and are forced to drink water from watercourses and ponds. They also wash their writing slates using the same water sources, raising serious health and hygiene concerns.

Furthermore, many government schools in the district lack basic sanitation facilities, including toilets for both students and teachers, underscoring what observers describe as gross negligence on the part of the education authorities.

Members of civil society and local residents have urged the Government of Balochistan and the Education Department to immediately reopen the closed girls’ schools, appoint permanent teachers, and ensure the provision of clean drinking water, sanitation facilities, and other basic amenities in all government schools.

They emphasized that urgent measures are needed to provide children in Sohbatpur with a safe and conducive learning environment and to prevent further deterioration of the district’s education system.