August 12, 2002	Monday	Jamadi-us-Saani 2, 1423

Please Visit our Sponsor (Ads open in separate window).

ISLAMABAD, Aug 11: The government is likely to reduce the size and limit the functioning of technical coordinating wings of the education ministry as part of restructuring and devolution plan.

Well-placed sources told Dawn that the decision had already been taken to restructure the ministry, as recommended by the National Reconstruction Bureau (NRB).

However, the final decision is likely to be taken in a high- level briefing, that will be attended by President Gen Pervez Musharraf on August 17. The briefing will be on the performance of the education sector reforms, the sources said.

The decision, if taken, would come into effect from September 2002 — much before the elected government takes charge, they said.

Under the proposed system, the ministry’s technical coordinating wings — Higher Education, Education for All and Science and Technology — will be abolished.

However, the curriculum, and planning and development wing, will continue to exist in the new system to supervise preparation of curriculum, syllabus, standards of education, policy, planning and centres of excellence, the sources said.

The actual downsizing in the education ministry was started in 1992, following the recommendation made in the Fakhr-i-Imam Economy Commission Report 1992. Under the recommendations, a number of ministry’s wings were merged into one another. The International Cooperation (IC) Wing and Federal Government Educational Institutions (FGEI) wing were merged into the Administration Wing, and the Student Welfare and Learned Bodies Wing into Higher Education (HE) Wing.

Similarly, the source said, the HE wing was also proposed to be abolished in the new system and the Higher Education Commission was being established in place of University Grants Commission.

Under the new plan, the government will carry out downsizing in the administrative wing as well, which, according to the sources, would result in the phasing out of the remains of the IC and FGEI wings.

The education ministry, the sources said, had relieved around 140 surplus supporting staff members, who were absorbed in other ministries. Since 1992, they said, professional staff of the education ministry had been reduced by 58 per cent i.e. from 193 officers in 1999 to 73 in 2002.

Further breakup showed that the posts of joint education advisors were reduced from nine to five; deputy education advisors from 23 to 13; assistant education advisors from 63 to 38.

This shows that 50 per ent downsizing has already been conducted in the ministry, which has, apparently, adversely affected the promotions of the senior officers.

It is believed that the proposed abolishing of the technical wings will result into massive surplus staff, on whose training, the government has spent a huge amount from the national exchequer.

Analysts said after the downsizing, a vacuum would emerge in the education system, which was linked to international standards and practices.

Furthermore, the provincial education departments have already devolved their responsibilities to the district governments and staff has been reduced at the provincial level.