KARACHI, June 29: The Sindh government will spend over Rs1,600 million on various ongoing and new projects for promotion of education in the province during the year 2002-03.

It has allocated Rs749.047 million for elementary education, Rs85.064 million for teacher education, Rs5 million for special education, Rs13.200 million for repairing school buildings affected by cyclone or floods, Rs147.470 million for secondary education, Rs279.972 million for technical education, Rs129.587 million for college education, and Rs15 million for physical education, etc.

Girls education development project is one of the top priorities among the ongoing schemes on which the provincial government will spent Rs56.684 million from its own resources, while Rs155 million under the foreign assistance programme. Rs6.163 million have also been allocated for promotion of girls’ primary education projects.

The government has also set aside Rs62 million under the middle school project to upgrade existing primary school to middle level. Besides, Rs3.5 million have been earmarked for creating public awareness regarding education programme.

An amount of Rs10 million will be spent on development of assessment system for quality of elementary education for teachers and students, Rs5 million for incentives to the teachers and Rs20 million for merit-based scholarship to the poor students at the elementary education level.

Moreover, Rs5 million will be spent on introduction of trade courses in schools and Rs55 million on ADB assisted technical education projects on which Rs270 million will also be spent from foreign assistance.

Some new schemes were also in process of approval for which funds have also been made available. It include Rs10 million for support to private schools/ madaris, including NGO/community, Rs8 million for promotion of science, cultural and art activities in educational institutions, Rs8 million for promotion of compulsory education.—PPI