Pakistan’s economy has always remained hostage to the country’s security concerns. As a result while every five-year plan since Pakistan’s inception and every budget had made ambitious resolutions with regard to development of social sectors, specially education and health, not only the allocations had consistently remained relatively very low year after year for these sectors but at the end of each year even the actual expenditure on them would be way off the meagre allocation.

In the 1960s and then in the decade of 1980s when the country was awash with concessional resources, the ruling elite used them up in purchasing military toys. It was only in the economically depressed decades of 1970s and 1990s that any overt attempt was seen to be made to do something about education and health in the country, but resource constraints were so acute in these decades that the results of these attempts remained negligible.

Though the present government had been making tall claims about how much attention had been paid to social sectors and poverty alleviation in the last three years, the situation today in these sectors is no different. However, the official economic managers of the military regime who have been retained by the elected government perhaps fearing accountability have begun qualifying these claims by saying that since it took a very long time for social sector programmes to start showing results, the nation would have to wait for at least five years to begin accessing benefits from such programmes. Also implied in this is perhaps an appeal to retain them in their present jobs for the next five years as well.

According to a government publication (Three Years of Reforms) released in October 2002, Education Sector Reforms (ESR) Action Plan 2001-04, launched at an estimated cost of Rs. 55 billion was to have increased access, enhance equity and improve quality in all levels of education with special emphasis on primary education to achieve Universal Primary Education. In a single year ( 2001-02), an amount of Rs3.57 billion (Rs2.0 billion under the President’s Education Programme and Rs1.57 billion under ESR) was provided as additional allocation over and above the normal PSDP. Overall, allocations for education is said to have registered a quantum jump from Rs6.62 billion to Rs8.67 billion. A grant of Rs3.57 billion is claimed to have been transferred to the provincial governments as an additional amount for distribution among districts to implement the reform programme.

The regime is claimed to have achieved the following in the education sector in the three years of its rule:

1. Enforced compulsory primary education by promulgating the Compulsory Primary Education Ordinances.

2. Adult literacy centres were set up in the last year of the regime all over the country to enrol male and female students of the age group 10 plus. Nearly 7000 centres are already operational. Targeting the age group of 15 plus this one-year programme combined literacy with functional skills and was linked to micro-credit. A Trust Fund has been established under the auspices of the National Commission on Human Development.

An amount of Rs100 million has been raised as seed capital by founding members including the expatriate community, the private sector and others. The President has announced a government contribution of Rs2 billion and appealed to all Pakistanis, in the country and abroad, as well as the donor community to donate generously to the Fund. National Literacy campaign ( Integrated Approach to Comprehensive Literacy and Poverty Reduction) has been launched throughout the country. The campaign envisages making 13.5 million people literate to enhance the literacy rate to 60 per cent by the year 2005.

To achieve this, 27,000 adult literacy centres would be opened during 2001-05. During the financial year 2001-02, 241 Adult Literacy Centres were opened in ICT (Islamabad Capital Territory) and the provinces were also provided Rs. 200 million to open similar 6000 literacy centres.

Against the allocation of Rs8 million for ICT ,241 centres were established while another 300 centres are under process. During 2002-03 an amount of Rs14 million has been provided for ICT Adult Literacy Programme. Six thousand ALC were established in 2001-02.

Under the early Childhood Education Programme (CEP), 6 million children will be enrolled in schools in a phased manner and provided with reading material etc to create basic friendly environment. ICT has been declared as a Model and 50 primary schools have been strengthened to cater to ECE including 30 schools sponsored by UNICEF. Thirty additional schools will be strengthened during 2002-03 and 50 more schools during the next year. This model will be replicated in other schools/provinces. Present enrolment will be raised to 50 per cent from 25 per cent. Curriculum has been finalized for implementation. Five hundred ECE centres have been established during 2001-02 and national curriculum printed.

The ministry of education has launched a project to give incentives in the form of free textbooks to the Primary students initially in ICT as a Pilot Project which will be replicated in the provinces. During FY 2001-02, free textbooks worth Rs2.45 million were distributed to 20,000 students in Class-1 in rural and urban schools. During FY 2002-03, an amount of Rs4.00 million has been earmarked for providing free textbooks to students of Class 1&2. Sindh province is also providing free text books upto Class V.

The second phase of Girls Primary Development Project has been launched in all the four provinces at a cost of Rs2.73 billion. Under this project, out of 937 Girls Primary Community Model Schools, 585 schools have been established and about 750,000 additional school places each year over the next seven years will be provided. The project will be completed this year.

The Middle School Project was approved at a total cost of Rs2.56 billion with FCU component of Rs229.27 million. The project was to be completed by end December 2002. Up-to-date achievements of the project are:

1. 552 existing primary schools have been upgraded to middle level in Sindh, NWFP and Balochistan against the target of 619 schools.

2. Out of 619 schools, 548 have been provided with furniture. Hundred per cent target was to have been achieved by October 2002.

3. Equipment/books have been provided to 440 schools and 100 per cent target was to have been achieved after the completion of civil work.

4. A programme has already been finalized to provide drinking water, electricity, toilets, furniture and boundary walls in 100,000 primary/elementary schools at a cost of Rs. 1.57 billion where these facilities do not exist. The objective is to improve the learning environment.

5. Under the rural girls stipend programme, 41,962 girls student have been awarded stipend against the target of 50,430 students. Target would be achieved by November, 2002.

6. Under Staff Development Programme, local 18,686 man-months and foreign 161 man-months have been utilised.

7. Under Consultancy Services, 105 man-months in foreign and 297 m-m in local have been utilised.

8. Teaching kits developed under this project have been provided to PIUs for replication and introduction in their respective provinces.

9. Curriculum in the subjects of English, Urdu, Maths, Social Studies and Agro-Tech for classes VI-VII has been revised under Middle Schools Project. The manuscript of these books has been handed over to the Provincial Textbook Boards for their printing and implementation.

Non-Formal Basic Education (NFBE) Community Schools Project:

Under the devolution plan, the administrative control of NFBE Community Schools has been handed over to the education departments of the provinces/region. At present, these schools are being established under an approved project titled “Establishment of 82000 NFBE Community Schools” (1998-2003) opened in Punjab, 338 in Sindh, 234 new schools, 234 in NWFP & FATA,73 in Balochistan, 37 in FANA, 40 in AJK and 120 schools in Islamabad.

Major activities carried out during FY2001-2002: 1. Opened 1698 new NFBE schools across the country including 120 in ICT.

2. Imparted training to 120 newly recruited NFBE school teachers in ICT.

3. Conducted refresher course for 86 already functioning NFBE schools.

4. Procurement & distribution of literacy material in 120 new NFBE schools.

5. Replaced material for 86 old/already operational NFBE schools.

6. Handed over supervision of NFBE schools of Islamabad to local NGOs.

7. Initiated the concept of early childhood education for reduction in the NFBE Schools.

NEF: Under the Community Support Rural Schools Programme (CSRSP), 253 community schools have been established providing employment to more than 800 people and brining about 9,600 out of school children to these schools. Training of community school teachers (about 800 per annum) is a regular programme of NEF. About 800 community teachers have been trained in 9 batches during the last three years. 8-10 community mobilisation and capacity building workshops are being organized annually for 253 Community Education Committees (CEC) and 30 NGOs. In addition, scholarships are to be provided to the children of teachers of federal institutions and stipend to the windows of federal teachers.

Vision and role of NEF have been re-formulated empowering it to provide quality education through public-private partnership. NEF’s restructuring has been approved and President has promulgated Education Foundation Ordinance, 2002 for autonomous functioning of the foundation with regional offices in Northern Areas, AJK and FATA. Four resource centres are being established in AJK, FATA, FANA and ICT. This model of restructuring has been shared with all Provincial Education Foundations.

Under other partnership programmes of the Foundation, eight primary school were established in rural areas of ICT during 2002 in collaboration with LDI, a Kuwait-based NGO. Twenty-three local female teachers have been employed in these schools having enrolment of over 850.

“Adopt-a-school” programme; NEF, in collaboration with Idara-e-Taleem-o-Agahi, started facilitating adoption of eight government schools in ICT.

In line with the provisions of the Local Government Ordinance 2001, a significant number of administrative and financial function (earlier assigned to the provincial governments) have been transferred to the district level governments. Identification of needs and corresponding capacity building of district level stockholders have also been initiated for effective implementation of devolution/decentralisation plan in the field of education.

EFA educational Kits are being distributed to facilitate districts to prepare district education plan.

Training workshops were organized in all the four provinces for EDOs, Nazims and DCOs to help prepare EFA Plan of Action.

The ESR package has been prepared at a total cost of Rs. 55.5 billion for the years 2001-05. For the first year (2001-2002) Rs4 billions have been allocated for elementary education, Rs1.0 billion for technical education, Rs1 billion for higher education, Rs2 billion for quality assurance, Rs1.5 billion for national literacy programme and Rs0.1 billion for public-private partnership (total Rs9.6 billion).

Pakistan is a party to the Dakar Declaration of Education For all (EFA), which encompasses literacy, primary education, and early childhood education. It has been recognized internationally that Pakistan is among the first countries to draw up a National Plan of Action 2001-2015 at an estimated cost of Rs432 billion. With a view to ensuring timely EFA Plan formulation, resource mobilisation and smooth implementation/coordination of EFA activities, focal points on following key areas/fields of EFA have been designed in the EFA wing of the ministry of education;

i. Quality; ii. access; iii. early childhood education; iv. decentralisation; v. EFA coordination.

The aforesaid focal points have started orientation as well as capacity building of EFA partners at provincial and district levels. Number of districts of the country have started district EFA Plan preparation, likely to be completed by the end of this year.

With the help of the private sector, existing primary schools are being upgraded to middle schools in the afternoons.

Revamping science education through modernization of science curricula, provision of properly equipped laboratories and training of science teachers in adequate numbers is one of the major focuses of Education Sector Reforms. An amount of Rs0.69 million has been distributed to each of the 34 districts in Punjab, Rs0.245 million in 16 districts of Sindh, from Rs0.173 million to Rs0.345 in 15 out of 22 districts of Baluchistan. Funds transferred to NWFP for revamping of science education in secondary schools in districts amount to Rs7.7 million.

To expand options of employment for young men and women, technical and vocational educational stream is being introduced at the secondary school level parallel to science and arts streams. Funds have already been distributed to each of the 16 districts of Sindh for this purpose ranging from Rs0.93 million to Rs10.55 million. Funds distributed to each of the 22 districts of Balochistan in this regard range from Rs0.67 million to Rs3.38 million. An amount of Rs1.79 million has been distributed to each of the 34 districts of Punjab for this programme. An amount to Rs43 million has been transferred to NWFP for distribution among districts for implementation of this programme.

An Endowment Fund of rupees one billion is being created to promote research. Linkages between universities and industry are being forged through strengthening of programme of studies in science and technology with special focus on engineering sciences, biotechnology, pharmaceutics, and information and communication technology. Our universities are producing a dismal number of 60 Ph.Ds annually which will be increased to 400-500.

The claim of the government is that never before in the history of Pakistan has so much money been sanctioned for education, at the same time ensuring that it is not wasted. As of today it is just a claim because neither has all the money allocated been spent so far or all the programme listed been implemented nor is there any physical or financial audit so far to establish that what has been spent has not been wasted.

In the health sector too the military regime has made tall claims. And these claims too need to be tested against actual achievements on ground. But here too official data are not likely to be compiled before the end of five years. And that would mean by October 2004.

According to official publications, a National Health Policy was announced in June 2001. It envisages health sector investment as part of the poverty alleviation plan, focus on primary and secondary health care services, aims to correct the urban bias in the health sector, ensures greater gender equality, seeks to reduce the widespread prevalence of communicable diseases and is generally meant to create mass awareness in public health matters. It also encompasses improvement of district/tehsil hospitals under4 a phased plan and increase in the number of district health officers holding a master or equivalent degrees in Public Health.

The provinces have taken special measures to ensure the posting/presence of doctors at primary health care facilities, particularly at rural health centres, as also in district and tehsil headquarter hospitals.

The following is the list of achievements the military regime is claimed to have made during its three-year rule:

1. The allocation of health sector in PSDP 2001-2002 was revised from Rs2,512.00 million to Rs4,512 million. The main additions have gone to strengthen the key national programmes e.g. Lady Health Workers Programme (Rs983.00 million in addition) TB Control (Rs121.00 million); Malaria Control (Rs106.00) and HIV/AIDS (Rs94.00 million) etc. These funds are being channelled through the normal funding mechanisms. In national health programmes, the implementation is done through the provincial governments while the federal government provides/monitors the inputs and outcomes. Thus a record PSDP has been provided to national health matters.

2. An important breakthrough is the merger of two grass-root cadres of PHC i.e. Village Based Family Planning Workers and lady Health Workers. All these workers have been placed under the administrative authority of the District Executive Officer (Health) in order to provide preventive and essential therapeutic services to the rural population at their doorsteps.

3. During the present regime, the Reproductive Health project has been stressed for gender equality. The agreement for $36 million was signed at Manila in November 2001 with the Asian Development Bank. The programme aims at improvement and establishment of obstetric care services in 34 districts of Pakistan in addition to 20 districts already covered under the Women Health Project.

4. A campaign against fetal tetanus in mothers and children has been started with vaccinating all women of childbearing age in 57 high-risk districts. Two rounds have taken place and third round is under process. UNICEF has especially noted Pakistan’s progress in this field.

5.The Health Ministry has undertaken a special campaign to combat polio. Consequently endemicity has been reduced to 98 reported cases during 2001 and 6558 during 1999. During the year 2002, only five cases of polio have been reported. WHO has noted the reduction of polio stricken districts from 100 to 35 within one year.

6. Hepatitis-B vaccination programme under the financial assistance of Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunisation has been initiated in 11 districts. Plans are being finalised to cover the whole country.

7. The present government has, for the first time, introduced a TB control programme on internationally adopted Directly Observed Treatments Short course (DOTS) strategy. Keeping in view the good performance, the Global Drug Facility has approved provision of free anti-TB medicines for 150,000 patients in Pakistan. This grant assistance was won on international competitive basis.

8. National HIV/AIDS Control Programme is expanding with the $35 million assistance of the World Bank. The project implementation plans at national level and provincial levels have been developed and the concept clearance has been accorded by CDWP for holding negotiation with the World Bank. It is expected to develop one of the best effective programmes in the world. A competitive bid for global fund grant for this activity has also been made.

9. An important decision has been taken by the Cabinet for rationalisation of drug prices. Eighty per cent drugs are manufactured locally while 20 per cent drugs are imported.The National Drug Registration Board, through their regular meetings, monitor the quality. The Drug Monitoring Committee keeps an eye on drug prices.

10. The Government has adopted comparatively liberal policy for grant of registration with view to encouraging investment in the filed as to ensure availability of drugs at reasonable prices through competition. During the last two years, 36 new pharmaceutical manufacturing units have been established in the country.