LAHORE; Oct 6: Required funds and other facilities are not reaching state-run primary schools in Pakistan, stakeholders concluded at a discussion here on Friday.

The sitting was arranged by the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan on the issue of government spending on primary education.

National Reconstruction Bureau member Riaz Khan explained the entire system of devolution and spending on the primary education under the Local Government Ordinance.

Mr Khan, however, admitted that the system was still not being implemented in its true spirit. Citing an example, he said the system demanded that a draft budget be developed and presented for discussion in April. However, he regretted, no official was preparing and sending draft budget for discussion.

“Perhaps, the officials concerned are not interested in holding discussions on budgets and make them transparent despite the fact that budget rules have duly been notified,” he noted.

He said everything had been devolved and money was being sent to districts through a 10-member Provincial Finance Commission. But, the system was not working as it should have been.

Mr Khan noted the education department officials remained engaged in postings and transfers of teachers and other officials. The NWFP government, according to him, had not devolved the system and spending budgets at the provincial level. Same was the case with the Balochistan government.

When Mr Khan claimed that the devolution had empowered councilors and they were discussing the educational matters, most of the discussion participants disagreed and said neither councilors nor MPAs were interested in education but minting money and getting their own jobs done.

Under the devolved system, the NRB member said the budget was now allocated directly to districts and they were empowered to spend money as they liked.

HRCP director IA Rehman stressed that the school management committees needed to be awakened and mobilized to monitor schools and make the local governments accountable for the delivery of their budgets accordingly.

He said the HRCP was working on the issue of government spending for primary education as it was the area where a foundation of the whole society was being built. He said the commission’s findings were quite disturbing.

Different NGOs’ representatives working in the education sector participated in the discussion.