Curbing Corruption in the Education Sector

In this quarter, we decided to focus our attention on the complaints against corruption in the education department. As a starting point, we researched the ghost school phenomenon that is plaguing the country. Our main concern was to raise awareness about this issue, and to try to do it all over Pakistan, as opposed to just one province at a time. To meet this end, we researched trusted grass-root organizations all over the country, interviewed them via the telephone and shortlisted 43 enthusiastic organizations. After doing that, the ALAC team created an informative leaflet in Urdu to be sent to all these organizations for distribution. Six seminars were also held by three of our partner NGOs.

Newspaper articles and statements from various researchers and state institutions confirmed that there are thousands of schools in Pakistan that only exist on paper, and are used for purposes other than education. An article from IANS[1] explained the situation best: “Ghost schools exist on paper and never operate, but they have ‘staff’ and sometimes buildings. The fictitious ‘staff’ are paper creatures and only live on a balance sheet, their wages disappearing into an assortment of corrupt pockets.”

Thus, our main concern with this campaign was to raise awareness about reporting this issue, and to try to do it all over Pakistan, as opposed to just one province at a time. This drive took the forms of seminars and corner meetings. To aid this process, the ALAC created a leaflet with relevant information about the corruption in the education department in Pakistan. The main focus of this handout was to raise awareness of the citizens against the detection and then reporting of ghost schools in their areas.

As an advocacy measure, the ALAC employed three of our partner NGOs to the task of carrying out several seminars along with the distribution of the necessary information to their community through corner meetings. In Punjab, the Rural Development Organization organized seminars in three different districts; namely Layyah, Toba Tek Singh and Gujrat. In Balochistan, the Kuchlak Welfare Society carried out two seminars. These were held in Ziyarat and Kuchlak. In Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, the Community Research Development Organization carried out one seminar in Charsadda.

Moreover, 43 partnerships with different NGOs were established. They were sent these leaflets to distribute amongst their community, and educate them about it, as well.

Some of seminars held are as follows: 

Balochistan

Khyber Pakhtunkhuwa

Punjab

Sindh