KARACHI, Oct 25: The Education Minister, Dr Hamida Khuhro, held a detailed meeting with Tahseen Sayed of the World Bank to work out on areas in the province’s education sector.

The minister briefed Ms Sayed that through a recent mass awareness campaign for enrolment, the ratio of out-of-school children had been reduced from 48 to 38 per cent, which was a big achievement.

She said the Sindh Chief Minister, Dr Arbab Ghulam Rahim, was very keen about educational reforms, adding that he had recently ordered the release of money for the establishment of a reform support unit.

Dr Hamida said the unit would comprise three wings. The first will be the Sindh Education Management Information System (SEMIS) meant to collect correct and reliable data, and to assess ground realities.

The second will be the policy wing meant to prepare plans on the basis of available data and to ensure timely implementation.

And the third wing will be monitoring and evaluation through which BPS 18 officers will be posted at five regional headquarters while BPS 17 officers will be hired at district levels for vigilance and monitoring the entire system.

Ms Sayed said the Prime Minister and federal education minister were also keenly interested in the uplift of education in Sindh, and both had asked the World Bank to help the Sindh Education Department in this regard. She assured Dr Hamida of all required financial and technical support in the plans to give a boost to the educational standards in the province.—APP