KARACHI: Education project continues to suffer delays
By Mukhtar Alam
KARACHI, Aug 2: The Sindh education department is yet to accelerate its activities under a plan finalized in early 2004 for achieving the goals of Dakar framework of action: education for all.
Sources said that pace of activities remained slow owing to unwillingness of the higher-ups and inadequate working capacity of the Directorate of Literacy and Non-Formal Education which is the focal institution in the province for the plan.
The provincial plan was approved in February 2004 at a meeting of the Provincial Forum on Education for All, presided over by Sindh education minister, Irfanaullah Khan Marwat.
Under the provincial plan, which is to be accomplished in phases by 2015 at a cost of Rs78.02 billion, the target of universalizing primary education in case of boys would be achieved by 2010, while in respect of girls it would be fulfilled up to 2015. The funding would be done by the Sindh government, the federal government and donor agencies,The plan also calls for expanding and improving comprehensive early childhood care and education, especially for the most vulnerable disadvantaged children.In order to achieve the target of the universal primary education, the Sindh EFA (education for all) forum has approved opening of 282 new primary schools, 864 mosque schools, 1,034 community supported schools and 11,138 non-formal and basic education centres every year in the province in the public sector, in addition to others established in the private sector.
In the Adult Literacy area, it was planned that the rate in the case of 10 plus age group should be enhanced from 49 per cent in 2004 to 80 per cent till 2015, for which 128,910 literary centres in the public sector, other than private sector’s institutions and thousands of non-formal schools were required to be set up.
For promotion of early childhood education, besides many other related facilities, Sindh is also required to establish centres at 10,600 government schools and construct one additional classroom at 13,134 schools.
The first phase of Sindh plan, from July 2004 to June 2006, has seen no significant development towards the fulfillment of EFA goals. As the pace of activity remained slow, experts blame the Sindh EFA Forum too for its failure to meet after 2004.
Although the Sindh Directorate of Literacy and Non-Formal Education was provided some funds needed under the EFA Plan, it failed to utilize owing to reported procedural complications.
The officials have still been working on a PC-1 for last over one-and-half year for establishing early childhood education centres in all districts, but things are yet to materialize. The adult literacy sector development is also not on ground as yet, said a source.
At a preparatory meeting regarding Provincial EFA Forum, held in May 2006, it was felt that understaffing, lack of technical facilities and shortage of office accommodation were the root causes of slow pace of EFA activities and there was a need that high-ups should take up issues seriously for a better delivery by the Directorate of Literacy and Non-Formal Education.
