Education dept foils theft of textbooks, suspends official

In a major success for the Sindh Education Department, a monitoring team has prevented theft and illegal sale of textbooks intended for schools.

Acting on the instructions of Education Minister Syed Sardar Ali Shah, an inquiry committee has been formed, and a departmental official has been suspended in connection with the incident.

The team, set up by the Sindh Textbook Board, had been overseeing the distribution process for several days to ensure that textbooks reached schools across the province. During this process, the team discovered that a significant quantity of textbooks was missing and had not been delivered as required.

Following a tip-off, the monitoring team sought police assistance, which led to an operation in Shah Latif Town. A large quantity of textbooks was recovered from a residence, and two suspects were taken into custody. An FIR has been registered against the suspects, and their statements are expected to aid further action against additional officials and staff involved in the scheme.

In response, Education Minister Syed Sardar Ali Shah directed the secretary of school education to establish an inquiry committee to investigate the incident. Based on the committee’s preliminary findings, a department official has already been suspended. Further action will be taken based on the committee’s final report.

Expressing his disappointment over the incident, Shah described it as a “disturbing sign of society’s trends” when the education of thousands of children was compromised for personal gain. He emphasized his commitment to ensuring that textbooks reach every school as promised and appealed to the public to assist in identifying individuals who are working against educational progress.

“The monitoring process to ensure the delivery of textbooks to schools will continue rigorously until the final stage,” he said, pledging that his team would fulfil their commitment to education in Sindh.