Government releases final instalment of NSB funds

Rs3.5b funds will be distributed through set formula for each district

LAHORE: The final installment of the non-salary budget (NSB) has been hastily

released to government schools of the province and the administration has been asked to immediately disburse the funds.

The funds, released by the Punjab Finance Department, are the  last installment for all 36 districts of the province. It is worth Rs3.5 billion and will be distributed through a set formula for each district.

The funds, meant to be released on a quarterly basis, have been released twice within just a single month—April— as the last fiscal year for the current government draws to an end.

The Punjab Management and Implementation Unit of the Punjab Education Sector Reform Programme (PMIU-PESRP), in a letter sent to all District Education Authorities (DEAs) Chief Executive Officers (CEOs), said the Punjab Finance Department had released the fourth quarter of the NSB funds. It added the money had been transferred to the Special Drawing Accounts (SDAs) jointly operated by the CEOs and district education officers (secondary) in all 36 districts of the province.

In the letter, the PMIU-PESRP directed the CEOs to immediately distribute the funds as per allocations and submit its confirmation. "CEOs are requested to immediately disburse NSB funds to all schools and certificate of transfer of NSB funds should be submitted to PMIU-PESRP by April 25, 2018."



It further directed the officials concerned to ensure effective and efficient monitoring and utilisation of the NSB funds.

The letter issued guidelines for further allocation and transfer of funds by districts to individual schools and also for the institutes to use the allocation. "District Education Authorities are being provided with school-specific and need-based NSB funds over and above their Punjab Finance Commission (PFC) share as a conditional grant, which cannot be used for any other purpose."

It further stated that the NSB funds for all functional primary, elementary, high and higher secondary schools had been transferred into SDAs for the fiscal year 2017-18 and CEOs had been told to transfer the funds to the respective school councils. Furthermore, the letter said that DEAs had been requested to notify the entitlement list of schools as per their district budget.

According to the allocation made for the fourth installment of the NSB funds, Attock received Rs71.49 million, Bahawalnagar Rs126.87 million, Bahawalpur Rs90.25 million, Bhakkar Rs72.25 million, Chakwal Rs54 million, Chiniot Rs52.94 million, Dera Ghazi Khan Rs101 million, Faisalabad Rs240.85 million, Gujranwala Rs125.96 million, Gujrat Rs94.45 million, Hafizabad Rs46.37 million, Jhang Rs104.57 million, Jehlum Rs46.61 million, Kasur Rs120.04 million, Khanewal Rs126.78 million, Khushab Rs50.08 million, Lahore Rs165.71 million, Layyah Rs87.04 million, Lodhran Rs49.1 million, Mandi Bahauddin Rs62.17 million, Mianwali Rs68.44 million, Multan Rs111.74 million, Muzaffargarh Rs112.06 million, Nankana Sahib Rs54.35 million, Narowal Rs78.36 million, Okara Rs121.02 million, Pakpattan Rs73.71 million, Rahim Yar Khan Rs164.41 million, Rajanpur Rs55.6 million, Rawalpindi Rs113.18 million, Sahiwal Rs101.56 million, Sargodha Rs140.55 million, Sheikhupura Rs94.33 million, Sialkot Rs120.43 million, Toba Tek Singh Rs96.28 million and Vehari Rs105.25 million.

Published in The Express Tribune, April 22^nd, 2018.