KARACHI, Aug 20: The lethargic attitude of the officials concerned has once again delayed the disbursement of school management committee (SMC) funds to over 1,800 primary schools in the city.

Sources in the government said that the Sindh government had allocated Rs886 million for 23 district governments in the province, including Rs148.431 million for the Karachi city government, as SMC funds for the year 2005-06.

However, the fund utilisation position is yet to be known from districts as the last financial year concluded on June 30, 2006.

Being critically late, the Sindh education department in April 2006, intimated the DCO Karachi about the release of funds meant for the financial year 2005-06, but the city government is so far unable to pass on to schools for any utilisation.

It was in the year 2001 that the Sindh government changed the nomenclature of the then existing Parent Teachers Association to School/College Management Committee, with objectives, among others, to enhance and improve the physical and educational aid/facilities.

In the previous years, while utilising the funds placed in SMCs of schools, the following priorities were required to be followed: appointment of teaching and non-teaching staff, textbooks, teachers’ training, drinking water, electricity, fans, toilets, shelter, repair maintenance, additional classrooms, furniture, teaching aids for students and teachers.

On January 5, 2006, the Sindh government notified the establishment of a Reform Support Unit (RSU) in its education department for managing education reforms and working of school management committees as well.

Interviews with quarters concerned revealed that in its first meeting held on January 17, the RSU’s steering committee decided that funds for existing SMCs would be released as per the existing system.

It was further learnt that in the 10th month of the 2005-2006 fiscal year, ie April, the Sindh education secretary through a letter informed all the district coordinator officers (DCOs) in the province that the Sindh finance department had released the funds of SMCs to the account-IV of respective district vide a letter dated April 19.

Like all the districts, Karachi government was also to get an amount of Rs148.431 million, against its number of primary, middle and secondary school students at the rate of Rs210.57 per student. However, after about two months of the issuance of education secretary’s letter, the EDO finance and planning of the city government on June 26 issued a letter to the EDO (School) that an amount of Rs102.943 million had been received from the provincial government against the enrollment of government primary schools.

The EDO was asked that his office should ensure immediate release of funds in question only to the respective accounts of the SMCs of the primary schools of I to V, which had been duly trained and were functional. As per the EDO finance’s letter the amount of Rs102.943 million should be transferred to the respective SMCs’ accounts within the stipulated time. However, a source claimed that the amount could not be transferred till date either to the EDO’s account or to the SMCs.

“You see, we received EDO finance’s letter only on June 29 and as such very little time was left at our end to act within the outgoing financial year, said an official concerned in the city government’s education department, adding that efforts were made to persuade the AG Sindh for the issuance of an authority letter pertaining to transfer of fund, but to no avail as the AG people said that they had not been intimated about the transfer of amounts to the SMCs.

When contacted, a high official in the city government’s finance department claimed that his department too was intimated about the fund in June only. We realise that transaction and disbursement of amount to SMC had been delayed, but things would be sorted out as SMC fund in question was non-lapsable, the official added.

To another question, despite passage of two months after issuance of letter, the finance department of the city government had not received any feedback. If the EDO (school) had any problem in connection with the fund’s release and utilization, his office could at least have informed us, he remarked.

However, school heads were of the view that they had been able to utilise the SMC funds on need basis in the previous years and as such they had been in a position to carryout some renovation and face-lifting works at schools in time, mostly during summer vacation.

The distribution and utilisation of SMC fund was delayed for 2004-2005 as well as like some other districts in the province, Karachi city government too had decided to have a direct and bulk procurement of items on behalf of schools, However, the centralised purchase exercise was invalidated by the DCO Karachi and schools were allowed to receive the fund some time in September 2005, a head of school from Nazimabad mentioned.