"Involve the youngsters in cocurricular activities to eradicate the growing menace of violence and anarchy from the society," a senior educationist recommended. Explaining the pathetic situation of cocurricular activities in educational institutions, he saying, "Gone are the days when students were encouraged to participate in scouting, sports and other games at their educational institutions. Now the situation is starkly different and the youngsters are left with no other options but to fire gunshots because they deemed it an activity of rejoicing."
This correspondent visited different public-sector schools and colleges to know whether students are involved in extra-curricular activities, but surprising it emerged that all of the institutions (schools and colleges) don't have funds to arrange activities for the students.
Notwithstanding the colleges charged nominal fee from the students at the time of admission under the head of scouting camps and other sports activities, the students remained deprived of such activities. The educationist was convinced that if government makes special arrangements for extra-curricular activities in schools and colleges, the young generation will to come out of the prevailing chaotic situation and shun negative activities.
A senior professor of Government D. J. Science College told Business Recorder that colleges collected millions of rupees under the head of co-curricular activities and deposited the same to Board of Intermediate Education Karachi (BIEK) and University of Karachi. But due to unexplained reasons, BIEK and KU don't arrange sports events for the college students. The setback for the colleges is that the representative of colleges in the university's Senate cannot defend the colleges' justified demands in the meeting, he added.
"The ultimate sufferers are the students and the society," he said, adding that the playgrounds of the colleges are in bad shape. He said that Sindh government, instead of spending on the playgrounds, have allowed LEAs to set-up their offices inside the colleges' premises On the other hand scout activities in public sector schools and colleges have also been shrunk due to lack of funds with Sindh Boys Scouts Association, a premier body responsible for arranging scouts activities in the province.
Sources in the association said scouts' activities were had fallen victim to government's neglect. "We need Rs 200 million every year to meet our expenses but the government only release Rs 2 million," the official said. "Being a pattern of the Sindh Boys Scouts Association, Sindh Governor has pledged to give Rs 5 million this year," he informed. He said the government should focus on co-curricular activities for a healthier society.