KARACHI: On the directives of Sindh Ombudsman Muhammad Sohail Rajput, Regional Director of the Provincial Ombudsman Sindh (POS) for Keamari District/West Karachi Aftab Ahmed Khatri, along with Salahuddin Siddiqui, conducted an inspection of the Government Boys and Girls Secondary School Abdul Khaliq (A.K.) Sher Shah, located in Sher Shah Colony, Keamari District.
The inspection was carried out following serious complaints filed by local residents of the area behind the Pak Colony police picket regarding the prolonged closure and misuse of government school buildings.
During the visit, it was observed that four government school buildings in the area have remained closed for a long period and are now in a severely dilapidated condition. Three of these buildings were found to be illegally occupied by drug addicts, who were openly selling and consuming narcotics, including heroin, inside the premises. The structures were found unfit for educational use.
The inspecting officials witnessed drug addicts using narcotics inside classrooms, while others were sleeping within the school buildings. Donkeys and buffaloes were also found tied inside the school compound. Large portions of the boundary wall had collapsed, and no academic activity was taking place, posing serious risks to public safety and social order.
The inspection highlighted grave negligence in the protection of public property built with taxpayers’ money. Local residents urged the authorities to immediately repair and rehabilitate the school buildings, upgrade the institution to college level, and consider handing over abandoned structures under an adoption model or public-private partnership, particularly to revive education for girls.
Residents further pointed out that this underdeveloped area of old Karachi has already suffered long-term educational setbacks due to past gang wars in Lyari. They appealed to the government for urgent intervention to restore educational activities and safeguard the future of children, especially girls, who continue to be deprived of their fundamental right to education.
The inspection by the Provincial Ombudsman Sindh has raised serious concerns over the misuse and neglect of educational institutions, and it is expected that the concerned authorities will take swift and effective action to reclaim the buildings and restore their intended academic purpose.
