JI concerned at prolonged closure of educational institutions

KARACHI: Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) Karachi Chief Monem Zafar Khan has condemned the recurring closure of educational institutions as tantamount to “academic genocide” of students, calling the practice unacceptable under any circumstances.

Addressing a ceremony organised by Tanzeem-e-Asatiza Pakistan at Idara Noor-e-Haq, Zafar urged authorities to abandon the policy of unnecessary closures, increase the education budget, resolve teachers’ grievances, and take concrete steps to ensure quality education for students.

“The progress of any nation depends on its education system,” he said, adding that the Sindh government had consistently failed to treat education as a priority. He criticised the ruling authorities for resorting to school shutdowns as a reflexive response to every crisis, a practice inflicting severe academic losses.

Zafar also took aim at the ruling class for maintaining lavish lifestyles and incurring unnecessary expenditures rather than cutting their own costs, arguing that the financial burden was instead being passed on to the public while sensitive sectors such as education continued to be neglected.

Professor Rais Ahmed Mansoori, President of Tanzeem-e-Asatiza Pakistan, echoed his concerns, saying education remained a low priority for the provincial government. He described the immediate closure of institutions during crisis as a deeply troubling and regrettable approach”.

Representatives of private school associations, including Muhammad Hanif Jadun, Parvez Haroon, Saeed Ahmed Batalvi, Dr Waqar Ahmad, and Sher Hassan, also participated.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2026