Claim: An image circulated on WhatsApp and social media shows a stark contrast between a well-developed school in Larkana, Sindh in 1873 and a dilapidated structure in 2017. The claim suggests that the region has regressed since British rule.
Fact: The image purportedly from 1873 is not of a school in Larkana but of the Parsi Virbaiji School in Karachi. The claim that Larkana had highly developed schools in 1873 is incorrect. Furthermore, there is no evidence to support that the 2017 image is of a school in Larkana or even a school at all.
On 17 May 2024, Soch Fact Check received an image for fact-checking on WhatsApp. The picture, which was widely circulated and published on various social media platforms, depicts a side-by-side comparison of two schools. The first photo claims to show a school in Larkana, Sindh, from 1873, presenting a well-constructed and seemingly advanced educational institution. The second photo is labelled as another school in the same city in 2017, but shows a decrepit and makeshift structure, implying a significant decline in the region’s school infrastructure since the British colonial period.
Fact or Fiction?
The photograph presented as a school in Larkana from 1873 is, in fact, not from Larkana at all. A Google reverse image search conducted by Soch Fact Check has traced the origins of this image to multiple reputable sources, including the Rare Books Society of India and The Friday Times, a Pakistani magazine. Each of these sources consistently identifies the photograph as depicting the Parsi Virbaiji School located in Karachi, not Larkana. This school, captured in the image from 1873, showcases a well-constructed and advanced educational institution for its time.
The claim that Larkana boasted highly developed schools in 1873 is, therefore, unfounded. Karachi, as a larger city, had different developmental trajectories and opportunities compared to Larkana. The misattribution of the image to Larkana distorts historical facts and contributes to a misleading narrative about the region’s past.
As for the second photograph, purportedly showing a school in Larkana in 2017, there is no verifiable evidence to support the claim that it depicts a school in that region or even that it represents a school at all. The image shows a ramshackle structure, vastly different from the stately building of the 1873 photograph. Without proper context or verification, the authenticity of this image as a representation of a school in Larkana remains highly questionable.
Virality
The image has been “forwarded many times” on WhatsApp and uploaded multiple times on Facebook, garnering significant interaction.
The claim was also shared on Instagram here.
Conclusion: The claim that Larkana’s schools have regressed since 1873 is based on a misidentified image. The actual photo from 1873 depicts the Parsi Virbaiji School in Karachi, a larger city with different developmental dynamics. The 2017 image’s location and authenticity as a school remain unverified, making the comparison misleading.
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Background image in cover photo: Al Jazeera
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