KARACHI: Rs788.824m released for public education sector
KARACHI, Dec 14: The Sindh education department has released an amount of Rs788.824 million to the 16 district governments of the province for purchasing education material, repair of schools, free distribution of text books and awarding scholarships to the students.
This includes Rs. 614.252 million for purchase of education material, Rs.111.572 million for repair of the educational institutions, Rs60 million for free distribution of text books and Rs3.00 million for awarding scholarships to the students, said Nazar Hussain Mahar, provincial secretary education, while talking to this news agency at his office on Friday.
Rs365.252 million for education material and Rs111.572 million were released through cheques on October 29, 2001, while another amount of Rs249.000 million for education material, Rs3.00 million for scholarships and Rs60.00 million for textbooks were released through a sanction order on November 20 last, he told.
Giving the district-wise breakup, he said Rs124.300 million had been released to the city district government Karachi, Rs73.613 million to Hyderabad, Rs50.642m to Dadu, Rs42.119m to Badin, Rs39.859m to Thatta, Rs33.265m to Sukkur, Rs47.604m to Khairpur, Rs35.737m to Nawab Shah, Rs40.287m to Naushehro Feroze, Rs31.530m to Ghotki, Rs53.704m to Larkana, Rs.31.631m to Shikarpur, Rs39.649m to Jacobabad, Rs61.594m to Mirpur Khas, Rs45.688m to Sanghar and Rs37.607m to Mithi.
He said that another fund of Rs311.993 million, that included Rs3.00m for scholarships and Rs308.993m for education material, was yet to be released.
He said the release of the funds was aimed at improving the condition of public sector educational institutions and extending assistance to the deserving poor students for carrying out their studies under the provincial reforms programme.
He said that under the reforms programme the provincial education department had already distributed, free of charge, 3,40,000 sets of textbooks among children in the rural areas during the current year. He said the free textbook programme had now been
To a query Nazar Mahar said that the Sindh governor had recently promulgated an ordinance for compulsory and free education in the province and initially 16 Talukas (sub- divisions), one each in every district, would be selected to carry out compulsory and free education programme. The selection of these Talukas would be made shortly.
He said a school nutrition programme was also being launched in 220 primary schools of the selected districts of the province. He said under this programme, which was being funded by the federal government, the school children would be provided lunch.
