KARACHI: Overdue scholarships to be given in August
By Our Staff Reporter
KARACHI, July 26: The girl students of government middle schools are likely to get the overdue scholarship cheques for the last financial year in August, it was learnt officially.
The fund amounting Rs94.4 million, was released to the city government, along with other districts, in November, 2005, for distribution among students of class VI, VII and VII of the government schools through the executive district officer (education).
However, over 94,000 girl students in question could not be handed over the scholarships even before they went on a two-month summer vacation.
The scholarship pertained to the last academic session, which ended in April.
In line with a decision of the Sindh government taken in 2002, Karachi middle schools’ girl students, like elsewhere in the province, are to get Rs1,000 each as a 10-month scholarship with effect from August 2004, as an incentive for continuing secondary school education.
It was learnt that district officers (education) were handed over the cheques of scholarship amounts only in the last week of June.
When contacted on Tuesday, the Executive District Officer (Schools), Sikandar Ali Lakhair, said that he could not say why his predecessors had not been able to arrange for in time delivery of scholarship amount to students.
After taking over the office of executive district officer’s (EDO) last month I have expedited the matter and it is hoped that students would get the due amount some time in August.
He said that amount had been transferred to the bank accounts of respective district officer school education, with the advise to ensure that cheques of amount be delivered to students as soon as they get back after summer vacation.
Talking about the procedure, he said that the District Officers would get a list of students concerned from school heads and hand over cheques prepared in the name of individuals to school heads back.
School heads are required to deliver the cheques to students through class teachers and get the acknowledgement of students and class teachers as well and then furnish that to the District Officers, which would ensure transparency in the distribution of scholarships, he added.
