ISLAMABAD, May 28: The Annual Plan Coordination Committee (APCC) has approved Rs3.2 billion for education division under the Public Sector Development Programme (PSDP) 2004-05, official documents say.

Interestingly, out of total 47 schemes of education division for the PSDP 2004-05, 46 are on-going and only one new project - establishment of Federal Government College for Women, I-8, Islamabad -- has been included in the list.

However, overall, it is almost 100 per cent increase in the budget for education division, compared to the last year's allocation of Rs1.654 billion. According to the official documents, total estimated cost of all the schemes, both on-going and new ones, is Rs25.166 billion, of which Rs4.538 billion is the cumulative expenditure up to June 2004.

According to the proposed summary for the Public Sector Development Programme 2004-05, the education ministry had demanded Rs8.836 billion, but the APCC, as proposed by the priorities committee, approved Rs3.2 billion.

Major chunk, Rs1.5 billion, of the approved budget for education division will go to the Madressaha reforms with special focus on teaching of formal subjects in religious schools, followed by Education for All with an allocation of Rs250 million, and Introduction of Technical Stream, Rs200 million.

Another main scheme in terms of allocation is the establishment of 82,000 community schools throughout the country including, FATA and the AJK. The project, which is already underway, has been allocated Rs170.51 million.

Adult Literacy Programme, Quality Assurance/Higher Education and Revamping of Science Education at Secondary Level - other three on-going schemes of the education ministry - have been allocated Rs100 million each.

The establishment of Federal Government College for Women, I-8, Islamabad, the only new project of the education ministry, has a total estimated cost of Rs75 million, but it has been allocated Rs5 million.