Assignment No.

1
Topic:
Problem Statement: Ghost Schools in District Musakhail

Submitted to:
Prof. Dr. Fazal Hayyat
University of Loralai, Pakstudy

Submitted By:
Hassan Khan Musakhail
M.Phil Scholar

What is problem statement?

The statement of a current issue or problem that requires in-time action for the betterment of
said situation and improving the situation for better outcomes. A problem statement is used in
a research work as a claim that summarizes the problem addressed by a study.

Features of a Good Problem Statement:

A good problem statement should go in depths of the problem and seek the reasons behind the
problem. It should address an existing gap in knowledge in the field and lead to future research.
A good problem statement should contain:
(a) The Ideal
(b) The reality
(c) The consequences
(d) The solution (optional)

Problem: Ghost Schools in District Musakhail:

The problem under discussion is ghost schools and ghost teachers in district Musakhail. To
discuss the issue at hand in detail, we first need to know what a ghost school means? What is
the actual definition of a ghost school. And, in what circumstances, a school is termed as a
ghost school.
“A ghost school might be a school which is not there, it never was built, and they said ‘oh we
have built the school and there is actually no school there.
Prof. Dr. Anita Ghulam Ali, Former Provincial Minister Sindh for Education, former CEO Sindh
Education Foundation (Ref. 1)
“A ghost school is a school (whether having building or being shelterless) which has remained
closed for an academic year or has not gone into annual examinations and produced the results
of a single class”.
Miss Zubeida Jalal, Former Federal Minister for education Pakistan (Ref. 2)
A ghost school is a school which remains closed and does not produce any results in a time span
of an academic year. The same goes for a teacher who remains absent from school for an
academic year without any intimation
Bahadur Shah Nasar DOE (M) Loralai, farmer DOE (M) Musakhail (Ref. 3.1)
A ghost school is the one which has no physical existence at all and there is no educational
activity. Yet, it has a BEMIS code and salary of teacher is being drawn. However, the term of
ghost school is mostly out of use nowadays and it is called nonfunctional school.
Ismael Jalalzai RMC- RTSM Pishin, Former district coordinator GPE-ESP Musakhail (Ref. 3.2)
Now, that we have a clear perspective of a ghost school, we switch our focus to the issue of
ghost schools in district Musakhail. The district has 17 union councils and a Municipality. It has
total 207 populated villages with an exemption of some scattered households. It has total
population of 167,243 as per 2017 census and Literacy rate of 25.86%. (Ref. 5)
As far as schools are concerned, the detail is as under:
Total No. Of Schools = 342
Total No. Of Boys Schools = 238
Total No. Of Girls Schools = 82
Total No. Of Gender Free Schools= 22 (GPE schools)

Total High Schools=23

Total Middle Schools= 28
Total Primary Schools= 207
Total Shelterless Primary Schools= 84

Total Functional Schools= 269

Total Non-functional Schools= 73
Total Boys Non-Functional Schools= 52
Total Girls Non-Functional Schools= 21
(Ref. 6)

Going through above details we have a sketch of educational affairs in district Musakhail. The
education department Musakhail is reluctant to name the ghost schools. It rather names them
as non functional schools. As per my independent sources and information, there are almost
100 to 105 ghost schools in district Musakhail. Most of these schools are either shelterless
schools or the schools which have been constructed at the lands of potential influential of the
area on political grounds without considering feasibility measures. These schools have been
allotted BEMIS codes and teachers are posted in these schools as per government record. Yet
there is no educational activity at all. Salaries of teachers are being drawn even through
modern day computerized systems. Fake departmental visit reports are being submitted at
monthly, quarterly and yearly basis. Most of the schools are commonly considered as the
property of the concerned influential instead of government or public entity. Teachers of those
closed ghost schools find protection under teachers' unions. Concerned teachers and the
unions even bargain with influential of the school offering them some money, most commonly
5000 to 15,000 per month.
If a random citizen complains about closure of school or absence of the teacher, complainant is
pressurized by the influential through tribal tactics and on official level matter is tackled by
teachers unions and politicians. Educational leadership/management itself is mostly transferred
posted through political and unions channels. Hence, most of the education management is
incapable to streamline such schools. One example of such ghost schools is GBPS Parheza
Ghaffar, Salli, Musakhail. According to independent sources and residents of the area, said
school was established in 1999 in the name of a powerful influential. Building of the school was
tendered but it was never constructed. A close relative of the said influential was appointed as
JV teacher in the same year. But the teacher has never attended his school. Not even a single
student has passed out in the last 23 years. Residents have complained on various forums
including prime minister’s citizen portal but no remedy till date.
Major reasons behind ghost schools have already been defined as construction of schools on
non-feasible locations, tribal influential’s influence, political influence, bargaining factor,
teacher unions powers and substandard education management . Some of the other factors
are incapable teachers, unawareness of benefits of education and poverty resulting into child
labor.

Solutions:
Although there is no overnight solution for such a huge problem, yet some measures can be
taken.
1. Government must dismiss all the non functional shelterless school.
2. Buildings of the non functional schools given on political basis should be traded with
other departments in exchange of their buildings in populated areas where schools are
needed.
3. (3.1, 3.2) A short term 5 to 10 years interdepartmental school monitoring mechanism
should be introduced involving district administration and judiciary.
4. The mechanism and order of discipline should be introduced for teachers' unions
restricting them to their legal rights.
5. District education leadership/management should be posted on meritorious basis and
should be given a feeling of total security for their official proceedings and decisions.
6. Incapable and absent ghost teachers should be removed from services with a golden
handshake either voluntarily or through conducting a compatibility assessment Test.
7. All the sources and resources being spent on non governmental organizations and third
party monitoring should be diverted towards the welfare of teachers and betterment of
educational institutions. Teachers should be given handsome professional allowances
vis-á-vis doctors, judicial and administrative services employees. A humongous
government led drive should be launched on all platforms of mass communication in
honor of teachers to boost their morale and give them the feeling what a teacher feels
in developed countries.

References and Acronyms:

1. The Ghost Schools of Pakistan – The Seattle Globalist
2. Geo TV Network Pakistan – Interview at Aaj Kamran Khan Ke Sath
3. Telephonic Conversation for Research purpose
4. Wikipedia: Musakhail Demographics & Revenue Department Musakhail
5. Sources from Education Department Musakhail
6. DOE (M): District Officer Education Male
7. BEMIS: Balochistan Education Management Information System
8. RTSM: Real Time School Monitoring
9. GPE: Global Partnership for Education
10. ESP: Education Support Program
The End.