Enhancing literacy: Federal government unveils plan to open community schools

ECNEC approves the project aims at increasing overall literacy rate.

ISLAMABAD:

The federal government on Friday approved a project to establish basic education community schools across the country – in what it calls an effort to increase the overall literacy rate in the country. 

The Executive Committee of National Economic Council (ECNEC) – the highest project approval authority – approved the establishment and operation of basic education community schools with a rationalised cost of Rs4.3 billion, according to Ministry of Finance. Headed by Finance Minister Ishaq Dar, ECNEC approved twelve schemes involving a total cost of Rs62 billion.

However, there was confusion about the actual cost of the project, as the meeting agenda of ECNEC, prepared by Ministry of Planning and Development, showed the cost at Rs6.9 billion. A similar project was already under implementation. The current year’s Public Sector Development Programme showed that out of the Rs7 billion total cost of the ongoing scheme, Rs6.6 billion had been spent till end June last year.



After the 18th amendment in the Constitution, the subject of basic education has been devolved to provinces. According to constitutional experts, the creation of a federal education ministry and the continuous spending was against the spirit of the provincial autonomy. A petition has already been filed in Supreme Court of Pakistan, challenging the creation of ministries in areas, which are now provincial subjects.

According to an official handout, the community schools in the project will spread all over the country and the Ministry of Education, Training and Standard in Higher Education will execute the projects in three years. The project will bring the out-of-school children to schools and increase the overall literacy rate in the country, it added.

ECNEC also approved reconstruction and rehabilitation of 277 flood damaged school buildings in ten districts of Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) with a rationalised cost of Rs3.9 billion. The Islamic Development Bank will provide a loan of Rs3.5 billion for the project. The remaining amount will be shared by the federal and AJK governments.

The project will be executed through the AJK’s Department of School Education and completed by March 2019. The floods of 2010 had badly affected the infrastructure across the country. The project will also help increase literacy rate of the AJK from 67% to 95% by 2019, the government claimed.



ECNEC approved the project of construction of low cost housing units for earthquake affected people of District Awaran and District Kech in Balochistan at a modified cost of Rs4 billion. The federal government will share 50% of cost and the remaining 50% will be provided by Balochistan government.

An amount of Rs2 billion has already been provided by the federal government and Balochistan. The project aims at awarding cash grants of Rs220,000 to each household for reconstruction of low cost two-room house; besides provision of solar electrification units.

The project also aimed at provision and installation of 18 community solar pumps for provision of water. Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif had directed for reconstruction of 16,000 houses in Awaran and Kech districts, which were hit by an earthquake in September 2013. The period of completion will be three years.

ECNEC also approved eight projects of the Ministry of Water and Power for augmentation and extension of 132/11KV transformers under Power Distribution Enhancement Investment Programme Tranche-4, funded by the Asian Development Bank. The total cost of the project is Rs22.7 billion and it will improve networks in Faisalabad, Islamabad, Hyderabad, Gujranwala, Multan, Lahore, Quetta and Peshawar.

The committee also approved Sindh Water Sector Improvement Project (Phase-I) with a cost of Rs30.4 billion including a World Bank loan of Rs28.8 billion.

It also discussed a report of Planning Ministry for the already approved Jamshoro coal-fired power project. The committee was informed that due to rationalisation and strengthening of Pak rupee, there had been a reduction of Rs77.54 billion in the cost of the project. In February this year, ECNEC had approved the project subject to rationalisation and revision of cost.

Published in The Express Tribune, April 19^th, 2014.