PESHAWAR, April 23: The National Commission on Human Development (NCHD) except recruiting a large number of employees and creating piles of documents has done little in practice for the uplift of the people in parts of the NWFP and Federally Administered Tribal Areas (Fata), residents complained during a survey.
“Everything is perfect in the documents but little is practically achieved in education and health sectors,” said Qudratullah Khan, district nazim Lakki Marwat. He said the NCHD’s activities were just a waste of money since their projects did not enjoy interest of the local communities.
The NCHD’s adult-literacy programme makes an illiterate person a ‘graduate’ within six months. “We were excited to learn but six months is not enough. It should be extended,” said Salma, 40, at a literacy centre in the provincial capital’s Afghan Colony. “My husband says it is useless to learn at the adult literacy centre.”
The literacy coordinator, who set up the centre in a small seminary, said that they were given the task to open 40 literacy centres per union council. It means for the officials only quantity matters not quality. The NCHD aims at bringing human development by supporting the government line departments, non-governmental organisations and elected officials at the district level in primary education, literacy and provision of basic healthcare services.
“If the funds were diverted to the education department for primary education instead of duplication of work, it would have benefited the people better,” said Qudratullah Khan. The commission claims to have created employment opportunities for 451,500 people but the teachers, who are doing hard work, are paid Rs1,500 only. “The teachers feel resentment that they do all the work and still are paid a meagre amount,” sources in the department said.
The NCHD, set up in 2002, has been unable to bring a visible change in the communities. The goal of the commission, stated on its website, is to fill the implementation gap and improve public sector delivery mechanisms to achieve the Millennium Development Goals.
It claims that over 7.87 million children, previously out of school, had been enrolled in primary schools. However the education department statistics show that 16 per cent are out of school. “About half million children are out of school,” said education department officials.
The commission officials working for the Universal Primary Education (UPE) in Lakki Marwat, since 2006, claimed that when they started enrolling children, the ratio of enrolment was 47 per cent, which they increased to 87 per cent in 2007-08. Officials said that they would achieve 100 per cent enrolment ratio by 2010.
Aim of the commission is to prevent dropout rate. However, the education department’s Annual Statistical Report, 2006-07, reveals that dropout rate in Lakki was 15.23 per cent at primary level. Report of the education department shows that gross enrolment ratio in government primary schools is 66 per cent whereas 16 per cent were out of schools.