RAHIM YAR KHAN: The Punjab Model School Programme (PMSP) has been incomplete in Rahim Yar Khan for the last year despite three times extension to civil works.

According to the education department, the PMSP started with the grants of USAID to upgrade high schools as model schools by providing facilities. Up to 100 schools were selected in 11 districts of Punjab. An amount of Rs10 million was allocated for each school for buying furniture and electronics.

In Rahim Yar Khan, these schools are to be made model schools: government boys high schools of Mao Mubarak, Garhi Ikhtiar Khan, Rukanpur, Ghazipur, Mianwali Qureshian, Jaja Abbasian, Sardargarh, Kotla Pathan and Fatehpur Kamal and girls high school of Fatehpur.

According to education department sources, the renovation work started in these schools last year.

The acting headmaster of a school, Zameer Sanghi, told Dawn the contractor had completed only 45pc of the work till now where floor and walls were coated with cement only. He said tuff tiles had not been fixed.

Jaja Abbasian Headmaster Mansoor Majeed said the project had been extended three times.

A member of the quality control and inspection committee, appointed by the chief executive officer (CEO) of the district education authority, requesting anonymity, said most of the schools were incomplete and not in accordance with the stated standard.

He alleged that some high-ups of the education department were pressurising him to sign the bills of the contractor so that their payments could be made possible but he had refused to do so.

District Education Officer Kastora Jee Shad told Dawn that contractor Sharifullah did not come here to check the civil work, however, his consultant Nabeel looked after the civil work.

Shad said there were two forums to check progress on the project: one, the internal school council, and two, the FAM at the CEO office.

He confirmed that only in two schools, 80pc of civil work had been done. He said most works were according to specifications but in one school tile work was not satisfactory.

CEO Rana Naveed did not pick calls.

Published in Dawn, March 23rd, 2021