Education gets top priority this year

Govt allocates Rs160.7 billion with 225 new schemes in all four education sectors

KARACHI: Education seems to be the top priority of the Sindh government this year, with a lion's share of the budget for the fiscal year 2016-17 being allocated for education.

A total of Rs160.7 billion, or 28% of the total budget, has been allocated for education, with an Annual Development Programme (ADP) allocation of Rs17.2 billion for 225 new schemes in all four sections of education - higher education, technical education, special education and medical education.

This year's allocations show an increase of 11.2% from last year's allocation of Rs144.5 billion. The allocation for salaries has been increased by 7.4%, while non-salary expenditure has been increased by 23.8%.

The ADP 2015-16's allocation was Rs13.2 billion with four subheads - Rs 10 billion for the education and literacy department (ELD), Rs200 million for special education, Rs1 billion for Sindh Technical Education and Vocational Training Authority (Stevta) and Rs2 billion for universities and boards.



Increasing the ADP for the upcoming financial year by Rs4 billion, this year's allocation comprises Rs13 billion for ELD, Rs213 million for special education, Rs1.65 billion for STEVTA and Rs2.955 billion for universities and boards. The ELD allocation has been increased by Rs3 billion, despite the fact that last fiscal year the department only utilised 57% of its budget. According to finance department documents, Stevta used 52% of its budget, universities and boards 37% while 0% of the special education budget was spent.

The other highlights of the education budget include allocations for the school specific budget, repair and maintenance of schools and colleges, school management committees, free textbooks and stipend for female students

Universities and boards

With an increase of almost Rs1 billion in the budget, four new schemes have been added which include the establishment of an IT University in Khairpur and the provision of virtual dental simulators for three dental universities in Jamshoro, Karachi and Larkana. The Government College of Technology in Khairpur, the home town of the Sindh chief minister, will be upgraded into the University of Technology and Skill Development. The project is being completed in collaboration with the federal government and both the governments will pay an equal share of Rs1.5 billion.

STEVTA

The establishment of government vocational training centres for women has been listed twice in the new schemes section in the STEVTA budget. One scheme lists the establishment of nine centres two each in Larkana, Khairpur and Naushero Feroz and one each in Mirpurkhas, Umerkot and Tharpakar, while the other lists six centres in Khairpur, Malir, Sukkur, Mirpurkhas, Larkana and Naushero Feroz.

Special education

The main highlight in the special education budget is the establishment of an autism centre in Karachi. The project will be completed by June 2018 at an estimated cost of Rs100 million, with Rs40 million to be released in the 2016-17 fiscal year.

Education and literacy

The biggest chunk of the Rs13 billion education and literacy budget is specified for secondary education - Rs4.9 billion. College education follows with an allocation of Rs4.587 billion and elementary education has Rs1.377 billion with 80 new projects added for elementary education.



The new projects include upgrade of primary schools into middle ones in Hyderabad, Mirpurkhas, Shaheed Benazirabad, Sukkur, Larkana and Karachi, which is similar to an ongoing project approved on January 31, 2008, to upgrade 460 primary schools to middle ones.

To cater to complaints regarding the education department, a project to create a complaint management system has been added at an estimated cost of Rs30 million.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 12^th, 2016.