KARACHI, Jan 3: Sizeable funds released for colleges and schools by the Sindh government lapses every year as district authorities fail to pass them on in time, said sources in the provincial education department.
It was learnt that despite the passage of a considerable time, the coordinating officers and the EDOs (Finance and Planning) at district-levels still lacked the understanding of financial affairs, and development and non-developmental projects, and that was why money available from the government remained untouched.
In some cases, the EDOs (Education) are not informed about funds, and as such, they fail to meet their financial obligations for academic and infrastructural facilities at schools and colleges.
Sometimes, funds are given at the very end of the financial year, which renders the authorities to review or revise the allocations afresh in the next year, added an official of the department.
Referring to the cases pertaining to lapse of funds, a source said that the Hyderabad district was provided with an amount of Rs12.07 million during the periods from 2001-02 to 2003-04 for procurement of furniture, science equipment, and books for different colleges within its jurisdiction, which remained in the DCO coffers and could not be passed on for utilization.
Only recently the Sindh assembly was told about non-utilization of budgetary allocations in the case of Khairpur (secondary and higher secondary) for the year 2003-04, which lapsed due to inactivity of the district authorities. A standing committee on education of the Sindh Assembly had finally been asked to investigate into the matter, added the source.
In the meantime, the Sindh secretary of education has asked various directors and heads of educational bodies, including directors of technical education, bureau of curriculum and extension wing, executive district officers (education) to provide details of funds that had lapsed during the last three years. A meeting on the subject is scheduled to be held at the committee room of the education department on January 4, it was learnt.
FUNDS: The finance department of the government has released an amount to the tune of Rs446.967 million to the district governments for education reforms activities.
Of this amount, Rs249.137 million have been provided for the purchase of textbooks from the Sindh Textbook Board and passing them to students of government primary schools in the province, while Rs197.830 million have been released for scholarships to girl students of middle schools. About Rs500 million have also been disbursed to the school managements committees.
