Glut of education projects but no one to implement them

Authorities have either cast aside or forgotten projects approved in previous budgets.

ISLAMABAD: Although the government has announced it is initiating several new projects in the education sector during 2016-17, it seems least interested in executing projects announced in previous budgets.

Budget documents show a glut of projects in the Public Sector Development Programme (PSDP), including Fata University, Skills University, Women University and technology parks, which are clearly not the priority of the government. Even following them up is a daunting task.



Take, for example, Fata University. The government had announced setting up a university in Fata over a decade ago. This ill-fated project has yet to see the light of day because of political wrangling over its location and a legal battle for the post of vice-chancellor. These and many other such hurdles have made the project unworkable. Despite all this, the project keeps figuring up in the on-going project list and during the current fiscal its cost has been rationalised to Rs1,592 million from Rs4,700 million.



There was a dispute over acquisition of land for the university in Darra Adam Khel. According to HEC, the charter of the university has already been approved and Dr Muhammad Tahir has joined as its vice-chancellor. Still recruitment of staff and its full functioning seems to be a distant dream for the residents of Fata.

Skills University is another much-touted project of PML-N. It aims to convert the National Institute of Sciences and Technical Education (NISTE) in Islamabad into the first Skills University of the country. Upgrading of the institute has been on the cards since November 2011, but nothing seems to be working with regard to the completion of the file work.

An amount of Rs780 million was announced as an unapproved project during 2015-16 out of which only Rs35 million was allocated that, too, remained unspent. Now the project cost has been revised up to Rs1 billion and new allocation of Rs250 million has been made. HEC has also submitted the draft for the charter of the proposed National Skills University with the education ministry on May 21 for legal vetting and onward submission to the cabinet.



The Women University is another project that remains a pipedream. It aims to upgrade the Federal Government College for Women in Islamabad to the status of the Federal Women University. CDWP approved the project at a cost of Rs998 million in November 2014. However, only Rs70 million has been allocated during the current fiscal. Interestingly, the charter of the varsity has already been prepared by HEC and sent to the education ministry in September 2015 but the CADD has yet to reply to this. Officials at the CADD ministry are of the view that the charter ‘is still under consideration’.

Another such project is the National Sciences and Technology Park at NUST. It is an unapproved project with an initial cost of Rs670 million. Although Rs40 million was allocated during 2015-16, it has been removed from PSDP for this year.



When contacted, HEC stated that since it was the first ever technology park, hence it was decided to conduct a feasibility study so that all ingredients are identified before launching the project.

Published in The Express Tribune, July 11^th, 2016.