Sindh Skills Development Program - SSDP

Eid Mubarak ….

"Merit Sacrificed to Fill Classrooms”

This graph is not just a chart,It is a painful X-ray of the condition of our education system in Sindh. The University of Sindh intake capacity is around 15,000 students, but according to the PET 2026 results, only about 9,946 students could even cross the 40-mark cutoff. That means nearly 5,000 seats would remain empty if merit were maintained strictly.

So what happens? The cutoff is pushed down from 40 marks to 30 marks just to fill the seats. At 30 marks, around 15,164 students become “eligible.” This clearly shows that the system is not producing enough academically prepared students to meet even the university intake demand. When standards are lowered only to fill seats, the message becomes dangerous: quantity is being prioritized over quality.

This is where the concept of “Garbage In, Garbage Out (GIGO)” becomes relevant. If weak foundations are fed into universities, the output will also remain weak. Universities alone cannot fix a broken school and college system. The real crisis starts much earlier, from primary and secondary education.

The most alarming part is that only around 252 students scored above 70 marks, which is closer to what we may call a competitive or internationally acceptable standard. Out of millions of young people in Sindh, producing only a few hundred students at strong academic levels is a national emergency, not a normal statistic.

We are spending nearly 500–600 billion rupees annually on school and college education in Sindh, yet the outcome is devastating:

* Nearly half the children never even enter school.
* Many who enroll drop out before intermediate.
* Universities are forced to lower merit just to fill seats.
* And only a microscopic number reach internationally competitive standards.

This is not just an education failure; it is a future failure. A society cannot progress when its education system produces degrees without strong knowledge, skills, critical thinking, and global competitiveness. Lowering merit may temporarily fill classrooms, but it cannot build scientists, engineers, doctors, researchers, entrepreneurs, or leaders capable of competing with the world.

If we truly love Sindh, we must stop celebrating empty statistics and start demanding real educational outcomes, quality teachers, accountability, modern skills, and merit-based systems. Otherwise, we will continue producing frustration instead of talent, and dependency instead of innovation.

The Humphrey Fellowship Program provides Pakistanis with 8-18 years of experience an opportunity to pursue graduate-level, non-degree coursework and enhance their leadership skills through professional development affiliations.

Apply by May 20, 2026.

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