KARACHI, June 23: The Sindh government has slashed allocations for new educational schemes that are to be initiated under the Public Sector Development Programme (PSDP) 2006-07.
According to government’s budget-documents, an allocation of Rs1.5 billion has been made for 20 new and 44 ongoing schemes in the new financial year against last year’s allocation of about Rs 1,000 million for 31 new and 37 ongoing schemes.The government has almost doubled the allocations for ongoing schemes, while expenditure on new schemes has been reduced to Rs248.122 million. The government had allocated Rs340.068 million for new schemes last year.
Schemes that are likely to be initiated by the Sindh Education Department in the new financial year include one elementary education, one for teacher education, three secondary education, three technical education, six college education and one education administration schemes, while five schemes had been put under miscellaneous head.
No new schemes will be undertaken by the Education Foundation, but Rs20 million has been allocated for two of its ongoing schemes, ie support to private institutions/madressahs and NGOs (SPEP) and Quality aAssurance Resource Centre (QARC).
An amount of Rs518 million has been allocated for eight ongoing and one new scheme in the elementary education sub-sector. Last year, Rs320 million had been allocated for nine ongoing and four new schemes in the elementary education sector.
On the elementary side, education department will begin a new project with an estimated cost of Rs20 million for construction of a hostel block for elementary school in the Garhi Khata area in Hyderabad. The scheme is to be undertaken under the directive of the chief minister.
In the elementary education sub-sector, the government had initiated a programme for addition of classrooms in existing primary schools or construction of two-room building in existing primary schools in the year 2005-2006.
Against an allocation of Rs48 million the physical progress for the year 2005-06 has been estimated around two percent, while another allocation of Rs161 million has been made for 2006-07.
Government hopes to complete its ongoing scheme pertaining to training of 12,000 in-service primary school teachers in the ensuing fiscal year. It spent Rs 45 million up to June 2005, while allocation for the purpose in 2005-06 was Rs7.5 million and 2006-07 is Rs7.5 million.
The government has allocated Rs2 million in the budget for monitoring and inspection of private schools in Sindh. An amount of Rs89.220 million has been allocated for up-gradation of schools to higher secondary level for providing quality education, specially in English at Taluka level in Sindh, under the CM directives.
An amount of Rs26.46 millions has been allocated for setting up polytechnic institutes at Korangi, Azam Basti, Sachal Goth, North Nazimabad, Surjani Town, New Karachi in Karachi and Khuhra, Khairpur and Thull, Jacobabad. The total estimated cost of setting up polytechnic institutes is Rs761.817 millions.
About Rs10 million has been allocated for consolidation and improvement of colleges in Karachi, Hyderabad, Mirpurkhas, Sukkur and Larkana while the scheme is estimated to consume Rs200 million.
An amount of Rs5 million, out of Rs100 millions, has also been allocated for establishment of a management science college at Matiari. An amount of Rs10 million has been allocated under ongoing schemes for the restoration of historical buildings of DJ Science College and NJV High/Higher Secondary School in Karachi.
