18 July 2004	Sunday	29 Jamadi-ul-Awwal 1425

KARACHI, July 17: The European Commission has announced a 39 million euros assistance for the Sindh Education Programme. This was revealed in the first meeting of the Core group formed to prepare the Sindh Education Programme , held under the chairmanship of provincial Education Minister Dr Hameeda Khuhro.

The meeting was attended by Nazim Karachi Naimatullah Khan, various district nazims Dr Rafiquzzaman, Nafisa Shah, Syed Nasir Shah, Shabbir Ahmed Bijarani, acting Nazim Larkana Nazir Bughio, former minister Anita Ghulam Ali besides representatives of the World Bank, European Commission, the USAID, the Asian Development Bank and senior officials of concerned departments.

Dr Hameeda Khuhro said that besides participation of international organisations for improvement in the quality of education in Sindh, the existing liaison between provincial and district governments would have to be improved alongwith developing a sound monitoring system.

She pointed out that condition of the education sector in Sindh was in a bad shape, and a comprehensive planning followed by collective efforts were needed for its improvement.

The minister said that teachers have to be motivated to perform their duties with a need to maintain a strict check on the working of schools.

She appealed to international organisations to come forward, get an appraisal about the problems faced by the education department, and not only take part in consultations for planning but also provide guidance so that desired objectives could be achieved.

She pointed out that recruitment of lecturers made recently had not been entirely annulled, but inquiries were being carried out on complaints from wherever received. She also said that lecturers who had been issued orders were not being barred from posting.

Dr Hameeda announced that besides ensuring the attendance of children in schools, a system of vigilance was also being initiated to make teachers duty bound, adding, she herself would make surprise visits.

Provincial Education Secretary Ghulam Ali Pasha, in his briefing to the meeting said the purpose of the Core Group was to develop Sindh Vision for raising the standard of education and literacy rate in every district and to control the number of non-schoolgoing children.

He identified some problems as gender discrimination, urban-rural divide, lack of administrative and training capabilities in teachers and the gap between people and the education department.

Mr Pasha pointed out that the private sector was not paying attention to education in rural areas while the number of shelterless schools was about one third. He said a large number of schools were closed, teachers were untrained, while the standard of higher education was not good either.

He described weak political commitment, non-availability of required funds for education etc, as some of the causes for decline in education.

Meanwhile, educational experts of international financial institutions, on the occasion expressed their reservations regarding participation of helping organisations.

The education minister said that Sindh Chief Minister Dr Arbab Ghulam Rahim was giving top priority to promotion of education.

The terms of reference as prepared by the Core group for "Sindh Vision" includes; analysis of existing educational priorities, identification of weaknesses in education sector and proposals for their removal, short, medium and long term planning, and implementation of proposals thereof. For this purpose, three thematic groups had been formed.

It was decided that SEP and SV would be given final shape in the light of recommendations of Core group by September 2004. - APP