KARACHI, Nov 20: The Sindh education department has decided to utilise the funds, collected from students 3-5 years back for making computer centres functional at 90 city colleges, it was learnt officially.

The education department had ordered for collection of amount in the name of Information Technology fund in 2001, as its efforts to set up computer laboratories in colleges, in line with a federal government directive.

A communication from the provincial education manager office said on Monday that Sindh Education Minister Dr Hamida Khuhro had ordered for making computer centres in all the colleges of Karachi functional at the earliest by utilising IT fund collected from students from 2001 to 2003.

Accordingly, the provincial education manager, Dr Mohammad Ali Shaikh, has asked principals of about 90 government colleges to furnish complete details of collections from students in a week’s time.

Dr Khuhro has taken notice of official lethargy and indecision, which resulted in depriving the students of educational facility for which they had paid, said the communication, adding that the minister now wants the funds to be utilised for improvement of computer centres in city colleges.

The Sindh government wanted to introduce IT as compulsory subject at intermediate level in the province, but failed to get the plan materialised as the then education hierarchy, which emerged after general election in the province lacked the will for the purpose, said a college principal.