38% of primary schools in Sindh do not have a boundary wall, 82% have no electricity, 60% have no drinking water and 59% do not have toilets. Indeed according to the Government of Sindh’s own admission a total of 2178 schools – 992 boys, 369 girls, and 817 co-educational – across Sindh are considered as dangerous for children. (MoE, 2006) This lack of basic amenities in a large number of schools is of particular concern as it affects not just the quantity but also the quality of education imparted.  

Complementing the inadequacy of basic infrastructural facilities, a significant number of the surveyed schools were found to be suffering from poor administrative practices that are considered essential for any quality institution. Approximately, half of the surveyed schools in all districts were unable to overcome their financial needs even though a combination of funding options such as: fees, community support – in the form of SMC funding – and government grants were available to them. The net effect then of this systematic degradation of institutional quality and by extension, on the quality of education being imparted, is adverse to say the least.