KARACHI, Jan 14: The scheme pertaining to upgrade of 1,200 primary schools in Sindh to elementary level under the Asian Development Bank-funded Decentralized Elementary Education Project (Deep) was moving at snail's pace as none of the schools has got such status since the start of the project.

The education department has so far proposed 260 primary schools for upgrade, of which only 23 have been approved by the funding agency, and the approval for the remaining ones was still awaited as the authorities concerned did not observe the criteria set by the ADB.

Sindh Education and Literacy Minister Dr Hameeda Khuhro, in a departmental meeting on Friday referred to a letter by the ADB in which the agency had raised objections over the slow pace of the project, saying it seemed that the officials working on this project had not even conceived even its basics.

Under Rs5,880 million project, 1,200 primary schools were to be upgraded to elementary schools, 204 English-medium model schools, one each for boys and girls, were to be established in each Taluka, nursery sections were to be added to 1,000 primary schools, 980 girls schools were to be provided with boundary walls, and 1,400 schools with lavatories.

Project director, Deep, Saindad Solangi, told the minister that PC-I of the project was approved in April 2003 and its execution period was set from January, 2003 to 2009, but the ADB now stressed that the commencement of the project should be taken from 2002, when the loan agreement was signed. -PPI