KARACHI: Sindh Senior Education Minister Nisar Ahmed Khuhro on Friday distributed stipend cards for scholarships among girl students at the GGHS Junior Model No1 (Pahariwala) School, Jamshed Town, PECHS block 2.

The programme organised by the reform support unit of the Sindh education and literacy department saw girl students of class six to 10 being presented with means to receive their monthly stipend electronically.

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“We have set aside Rs1.2 billion for some 400,000 class six to 10 students’ scholarship in Sindh. Of them the class six to class eight students will be given the scholarship instalments through automated teller machine (ATM) cards while the students of class nine and 10 will be given their amounts through the Telenor Easypaisa mobile account. A total of Rs3,500 per month will be distributed among the students from backward or rural areas while the ones living in the city would be getting Rs2,500 a month,” the minister said on the occasion.

“Getting this money to the students has only been made possible now after two years as earlier the education department had faced plenty of dishonesty. The new method selected is more transparent,” he added.

It was also announced on the occasion that work had been started on renovation of schools in need of it in Sindh and those without water and electricity connections would be getting these necessities, too.

The minister also said teachers who were not attending schools and doing their jobs would be dealt harshly.

“They are the main cause of embarrassment for the education department and the reason for falling standards of education in the province.”

Published in Dawn, August 30th , 2014