Serious questions have been raised over the quality of education in Karachi’s government schools after data revealed that only 7.2 percent of students admitted to the city’s top 10 government colleges had completed their matriculation from government schools, reported 24NewsHD TV channel on Monday.
The figures show that 13,211 students were admitted to the 10 leading government colleges in Karachi. Of these, 12,264 students, or 92.8 percent, came from private schools, while only 947 students came from government schools.
In other words, out of every 100 students admitted to these colleges, nearly 93 were graduates of private schools and only seven came from government schools.
The figures from several major colleges paint a similar picture.
At Adamjee Government Science College, only 28 out of 613 admitted students had completed their matriculation from government schools.
At Government D.J. Sindh Science College, only 44 out of 1,258 students came from government schools, while at Delhi Government Science College, just 28 out of 801 admitted students were government-school graduates.
Similarly, Government Boys College Nazimabad admitted 1,317 students, but only 60 had studied at government schools.
The situation was no different at leading government girls’ colleges, where students from private schools made up the vast majority of admissions.
At Sir Syed Government Girls College, 2,507 students were admitted. Of these, 2,266 came from private schools, while only 241 came from government schools.
At PECHS Government College for Women, only 97 out of 1,517 students were graduates of government schools.
Meanwhile, Khatoon-e-Pakistan Government College recorded 2,107 admissions, including 1,876 students from private schools and only 231 from government schools.
At St. Lawrence Government Girls College, only 60 out of 691 students had completed their matriculation from government schools.
The data has raised serious concerns about the standard of education in Karachi’s government schools and the ability of the public education system to prepare students for admission to leading colleges.
Meanwhile, the new academic year for first-year intermediate students has also begun, with classes starting at colleges across the city.
At Jinnah Government College, however, attendance remained low on the first day of the new academic session. First-year students formally began their college journey, but only a limited number attended classes on the opening day.
The college also faced concerns over the punctuality of its non-teaching staff. According to the report, some members of the staff did not observe the required working hours.
Jinnah Government College Principal Kamran Kazmi expressed his displeasure over the issue and directed the staff to ensure punctuality and follow the official timings.
The condition of the classrooms was another concern on the first day. The lack of proper dusting and cleaning reportedly affected the appearance of the classrooms and could create a negative impression among newly enrolled students.
The developments at Jinnah Government College, together with the low representation of government-school graduates in Karachi’s leading government colleges, have highlighted broader concerns about the quality of public education, college administration and the facilities being provided to students.
Reporter: Syed Zubair Rashid