KARACHI, Oct 16: Under the government’s devolution of power plan, the Sindh education department has delegated administrative and financial authority to the respective city and district governments and the concerned education officers in the province.

A notification issued in this respect says that it was expedient to devolve power and decentralize administrative and financial authority to accommodate public for good governance, effective delivery of services and transparent decision-making through institutionalized participation of the people at grass roots level.

The notification states that all matters pertaining to education administration, establishment, posting and allied assignment will be performed by the district officers of education in line with the policy chalked out by the City or District Nazim and the government, from time to time, according to their authorities.

Policy issues pertaining to government along with issues relating to the textbook board, curricula, standard quality and examinations will be followed by the district. The DOs, according to policy decisions, will also deal with matters pertaining to development.

The Executive District Officer, Education, of the City or District Government, will be the head of the office and the representative of the education department at the district level having the infrastructure consisting of DOs of Education Elementary (both sexes), Secondary and Higher Secondary (both sexes), Planning, Special Education, Sports, Academic and Training, Colleges, Technical Education, Private Schools, with Deputy District Officers and Assistant District Officers at elementary level with allied staff.

The functions of the EDO Education, under the district government, would be planning, research, development and mapping of schools within the framework of national guidelines, preparation of budget, distribution, utilization and audit, registration and supervision of privately-managed educational institutions, monitoring and supervision of all educational institutions, recommendations for award of scholarship to students, selection of teachers for training, retaining and recommending them for admission in training colleges on need or regular basis, posting and transfer of teaching and ministerial staff within district, award of selection grade, moveover, pension, writing of annual confidential reports and promotion of teaching as well as ministerial staff in their respective grade and cadre.

Establishment, up-gradation, maintenance and repair of educational institutions and provision of basic facilities including furniture, equipment and other material will also be the responsibility of the EDO and his office.

The EDO would also be responsible for preparation of the comprehensive district development plan and fixation of short and long-term target for each sub-sector education department.

The powers of DOs of Elementary, Secondary, Higher Secondary, Technical Education and Sports, in basic pay scale 19, have also been elaborated in the notification. It says that the post of ADO Elementary has been created on a Town level for proper supervision of elementary system of education. The DO, Academic and Training, will evaluate the performance of teachers, learning achievement testing of students and coordinate with the concerned education boards for conducting examinations of students as well as teachers.

There will also be a DO for registration and supervision of privately-managed educational institutions.—PPI