PESHAWAR: The Elementary and Secondary Education Department has given up its plan of devolution of monitoring powers to the level of schools due to financial constraints, according to sources. Such devolution was one of the major components of the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf’s reform agenda.

The purpose of devolution to the school level was to improve the quality of education in the government schools. The sources said that the annual estimated cost of the devolution of power to the level of schools was Rs1 billion.

They said that the finance department had been resisting release of the amount from the day first, terming the cost very high and additional burden on the provincial kitty.

Under the plan high school heads were to monitor primary, middle schools

Under the proposed plan called ‘Schools Cluster System’, the education department wanted to empower the headmasters of high and higher secondary schools to effectively supervise and monitor the affairs of all the government primary and middle schools in their localities.

For devolution, the education department required the creation of 2,110 vacancies of cluster support officers (CSO) in grade-16 for appointing in high and higher secondary schools. Under the plan, the CSOs were supposed to support the principals of the high and higher secondary schools in monitoring the schools in the cluster.

Besides other reforms in the education department, the formation of the Schools Cluster System was one of the reforms prioritised by the PTI-led government across the province.

In fact, the devolution to the school level was the brainchild of the previous government which had planned it in 2009, but it couldn’t be implemented due to financial implications. When the PTI-led government was formed in the province in May 2013, it insisted on the implementation of the SCS due to its effectiveness for monitoring of schools.

The education department has already completed the homework for devolution by identifying 2,310 clusters, but in vain, the sources said, adding that it was planned that each cluster would consist of 10 to 15 schools.

Under the plan, the administrative and financial powers currently exercised by a deputy district officer (DDO) of all primary and middle schools in a town or tehsil level would have to be transferred to the principals of high and higher secondary schools, the officials said. Each district has two DDOs, one each for boys and girls schools.

After the finance department’s refusal to provide funds, the education department has now decided to appoint 170 more assistant sub-divisional education officers (ASDEOs). Currently, 300 ASDEOs have been working in the province for monitoring of schools, the sources said, adding that the education department was not sure whether the finance department would accept the fresh proposal of appointing 170 more such officers or not.

The sources said that under the revised plan, each ASDEO would monitor 50 government primary schools. They said that ASDEOs would take part in the process of procurement of furniture and providing missing facilities. However, they said that it would be impossible for a single ASDEO to monitor 50 schools and bring improvement.

The official sources said that the total budget allocated to the Elementary and Secondary Education Department was Rs93.29 billion in the ongoing financial year. Though a major chunk of the provincial budget was being spent on education, the academic standard in the government schools has not improved due to ineffective monitoring.

Published in Dawn, January 7th, 2015

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