KARACHI: Following coming up with the Sindh Education Sector Plan (SESP) 2014-18, the reform support unit (RSU) of the Sindh education and literacy department on Tuesday organised a conference to disseminate the plan, its priorities, indicators and roadmap for achieving the set targets with key development partners, donors and international non-government organisations working in the education sector.

It was stressed that the plan was incomplete and impracticable without the support and recommendations from the partners.

Senior Minister for Education and Literacy Nisar Ahmed Khuhro told the conference that finally after 68 years there was now a document in hand to put the plan on the right track.

“Education For All is a great vision but it is just that, a vision. We fall short of achieving many goals when funding becomes an issue. So we are trying to gain the confidence of donors as one has to work hand-in-hand locally and internationally because we have several problems and requirements where we need help,” said the minister.

“If we have 4.2 million children in schools, we have as many out of school. So non-formal education is the way to educate them. We need evening shifts in schools but for that we need more teachers. We don’t have much funding but we have human resource. It is my idea to get senior students like those of Matric and O-Levels to teach junior students.

“Early Childhood Education [ECE] is an international issue. We don’t have it in public sector schools. There is always a start. For instance, there is the katchi class that can be turned around,” he pointed out.

“I am also disturbed about the missing facilities in schools such as electricity, bathrooms, furniture, etc. If we can do something about this, we can make them happy schools. Right now we are doing whatever we can to keep children in schools like giving stipends to female students but we need backing for such schemes so that we don’t run out of funding on the way,” he said.

Education Secretary Dr Fazlullah Pechuho welcomed suggestions for the SESP if the partners found anything missing from it. “The basic thinking behind it,” he said, “is to bring absentee students back to school and increase enrolment in Sindh. Right now in order to incorporate ECE in our schools, we need to amend 2013’s Article 25-A.”

Earlier, RSU chief programme manager Saba Mahmood, while presenting the process of development of SESP, explained the objectives of the conference which, she said, was to update the development partners with the government’s education reform activities to avoid duplication.

RSU senior programme manager Ghulam Nabi informed the partners about SESP’s targets. He said that if the plan was followed, the ECE would increase from 32 to 45 per cent, primary enrolment from 59 to 77, middle from 34 to 50, secondary from 23 to 35 and higher secondary from 19 to 30 per cent.

The development partners include Oxfam, Save the Children, Aga Khan Foundation, British Council, International Labour Organisation, USAID, World Bank, Concern Worldwide, EFS, ACTED Pakistan, IRC, Unesco, Unicef, JICA, FAO, AFS, Sindh Basic Education Programme, etc.

Meanwhile, World Bank, USAID, European Union, JICA, GPE and CIDA committed to provide funding estimated to be Rs76 million. Several others shared their plans for bettering education in the country, specifically Sindh.

Mr Mahmood Butt of the USAID raised the fear that “every now and then a good programme comes up but before it can be completed, you erase it and start something new all over again. Hopefully, SESP will carry on”.

Barbara Wickham, British Council’s director for Sindh and Balochistan, said that they were looking to implement English language in all school, college and university education. “There is Scotland’s scholarship for women of rural areas here to complete their education. Something of the sort can be taken to schools as well,” she said.

Speaking for ACTED, Clara Straimer said that her organisation was interested in vocational training at secondary schools. “We also want inclusive education specifically for children with disabilities and children from minorities,” she said.

Sadeqa Sallahudin of the Indus Resource Centre said that they worked with school management committees. “Schools are ongoing but projects end while donors shy away from constant funding so we look to the government of Sindh to provide us with constant funding,” she said.

Ms Shama Maqbool of the ILO said that they wanted career counselling at the school level instead of the college or university level. “Career counselling should be integrated at the school level specifically in class VII or VIII when the students haven’t yet decided the subjects they want to pursue. It is a bit too late at the college and university level,” she said.

Sana Kazmi of the Alif Ailaan said that they were looking for better communication as it helped accountability. “If all the data is shared with us, it will help accountabilty,” she said.

Sana Alam of World Bank also said that they needed a focal person to share all data with them.

Saeed ul Hassan of Oxfam said that they worked with partners such as Indus Resource Centre, SPO and Idara Taleem-o-Aagahi and were specifically interested in girls’ education. “Just like we work with partners, we need to coordinate with the Sindh government, too,” he said.

Published in Dawn, October 1st, 2014