The provincial education department of Balochistan has disclosed that over 3,500 schools across the province have been shut down due to a severe shortage of teachers. This revelation came in a written response to a question from a member of the Balochistan Assembly.
According to the department, 542 schools have been closed since the new government, led by Chief Minister Sarfraz Bugti, took office in February. As a result, the total number of non-functional schools, encompassing both boys’ and girls’ institutions, has risen to 3,694 across all 35 districts of Balochistan.
Read More: 26.2 million children are out-of-school: report
The province currently operates 15,096 government schools but faces a shortage of 16,000 teachers. Of the total 48,841 teaching positions, many remain unfilled. The districts with the highest number of non-functional schools are:
- Pishin: 254
- Khuzdar: 251
- Kalat: 179
- Qila Saifullah: 179
- Barkhan: 174
- Awaran: 161
- Quetta: 152
The report also highlights the closure of 13 schools in Dera Bugti, the home district of Chief Minister Sarfraz Bugti, due to inadequate staffing.
Despite efforts to address the issue, including the recruitment of 9,496 new teachers, the staffing shortfall remains unresolved. The education department’s response to the query was not presented in the assembly session due to the absence of the questioner, and the issue was postponed for discussion at a future meeting.
The Balochistan Students Organization has voiced strong concerns regarding the declining state of education in the province. Balaach Qadir Baloch, Chairman of the organization, attributed the crisis to administrative corruption, poor planning, and a culture of favoritism.
