Sindh Education Minister Warns 92% of Budget Goes to Salaries, Undermining Learning

Syed Sardar Shah has highlighted that 92 percent of Sindh’s school education budget is consumed by salaries and pensions, raising concerns that the sector has shifted focus from learning to employment generation.

Speaking in the Sindh Assembly while addressing written and verbal questions from lawmakers, Shah noted that the provincial government had originally planned to recruit 50,000 teachers in 2021. To date, 95,000 teachers have received offer letters, yet approximately 31,000 candidates remain awaiting recruitment.

The minister warned that the disproportionate allocation of funds toward payroll leaves little room for investments in infrastructure, educational materials, teacher training, and curriculum development. This imbalance, he said, could compromise the quality of education delivered to students across the province.

Officials and education experts argue that while increasing teacher numbers addresses employment needs, excessive focus on salaries without complementary educational reforms risks creating a system that prioritizes jobs over learning outcomes.

Shah’s remarks underscore the ongoing challenges facing Sindh’s education sector, emphasizing the need for fiscal restructuring, targeted investment, and strategies that balance staff remuneration with initiatives to improve teaching quality and student performance.