KARACHI: Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah has said education remains the foundation of the province’s future and his government is investing heavily in schools and colleges so that every child, boy or girl, has access to a safe, modern and inclusive learning environment.

He said this while chairing a meeting held to review the progress of the Education Department’s development portfolio, covering both the School Education and Literacy Department (SELD) and College Education Department (CED) projects under the Annual Development Programme (ADP) 2025-26.

The meeting was attended by Education Minister Syed Sardar Shah, Irrigation Minister Jam Khan Shoro, Sindh Chief Secretary Asif Hyder Shah, Chairman Planning & Development Board Najam Shah, Secretary Finance Fayaz Jatoi, Secretary to the CM Raheem Shaikh, Secretary Colleges Nadeem Memon, Secretary School Education Shahzaman Khuhro, along with senior officials of the concerned departments.

During the briefing, the chief minister was informed that under the ADP 2025-26, a total of 130 schemes covering 1,280 units are targeted for completion during the fiscal year, with an estimated cost of Rs15.57 billion. All required funds have been allocated, and Rs1.88bn has already been released.

The Public Sector Development Programme (PSDP) for the reconstruction of flood-affected schools is being implemented across 30 districts of Sindh at a cost of Rs12.33bn, jointly financed by the federal and provincial governments. Out of 481 schools, 463 have been awarded, with 317 already at roof level or above, marking 44 per cent physical and 28pc financial progress.

Progress was also reported on foreign-assisted initiatives, including projects funded by Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) and the Asian Development Bank (ADB). Under JICA’s school upgradation scheme, 20 girls’ schools in five districts are being elevated from primary to elementary level, with four already completed. Another JICA-supported Flood Response Reconstruction Project in six districts has reached 45pc physical progress.

The Sindh Secondary Education Improvement Project (SSEIP), co-funded by the ADB, is constructing 117 new secondary schools and training 2,630 teachers in key subjects.

CM Shah also instructed the Finance and P&D departments to maintain a strict monitoring mechanism for both domestic and foreign-funded education projects, ensuring that public funds deliver maximum educational outcomes.

Meeting to review water schemes

Mr Shah also directed the local government department to accelerate the execution of ongoing schemes focusing on water supply drainage and sanitation in the city.

Reviewing the overall development portfolio of the local government department, he said that the provincial government was investing in sustainable urban solutions so Karachi and interior Sindh residents could live in cleaner, healthier and better-managed cities.

Presenting the department’s annual progress, Minister Nasir Shah reported that the development portfolio for 2025–26 includes 756 schemes with a total allocation of Rs78.087bn under the ADP and Rs45.540bn via Foreign Project Assistance (FPA

The CM was informed that Karachi Division’s major development portfolio included nine mega projects worth Rs7.66bn, in addition to numerous agency-specific schemes such as Karachi Development Authority’s Rs13.22bn for 76 schemes.

It was informed that Rs18.36bn was allocated for Karachi Metropolitan Corporation for 200 schemes, including 10 new ones focused on roads, drains, and municipal facilities.

Published in Dawn, November 14th, 2025