Deal signed to help students from poor families

Benazir Income Support Programme (BISP) and Sindh Colleges Department here (SCD) on Monday signed a memorandum of understanding to extend financial support to the children of BISP beneficiaries' families to stop drop out and help poor but genius students to continue for their higher education.

The social security net will provide quarterly stipends to students registered with the recommendation of the school and college principals. Moreover, the cash distribution programme will have access to the attendance registers of schools and colleges to verify the attendance of students whenever necessary. Sindh Director General Colleges Prof Ghulam Mustafa Charan and BISP Director General Waseelae-Taaleem, Naveed Akbar signed the MoU.

The signing of MoU was witnessed by Sindh Secretary Colleges, Khalid Hyder Shah and BISP's Director General (Sindh Chapter) Fozia Basharat Samo. The MoU is aimed at building partnership in BISP and Colleges' Education Department for effective implementation of co-responsibility cash transfer (CCT) under Waseela-e-Taleem programme in the province for the promotion of higher secondary/Intermediate level of education of children of BISP beneficiary families.

It would also facilitate BISP officials access to schools and colleges registers for verifying attendance data of enrolled children of BISP families on quarterly basis. It was decided that BISP in collaboration with Colleges Department would hold trainings sessions at district level in the province for the Principals and Vice Principals of 340 Government Colleges, who would further give training to their teachers and staff.

BISP will provide tablet devices to the principals for effective sharing of data at both ends. He said that of total 340 Sindh government colleges, at least 150 are in Karachi. BISP CCT DG Naveed Akbar briefed that Federal Government had decided to add higher secondary (11 and 12) standard students in Waseela-e-Taleem Programme -- an educational conditional cash transfer project. Under the project, cash will be granted to children from the poorest families registered with BISP on 70 per cent attendance basis in their schools; then it would be verified from the concerned colleges, higher secondary schools' attendance record every three months.

The beneficiary students would loose this support in case of failure in XI year exam. He said Rs3,000 and Rs 2.500 would be given to girls and boys respectively aged 8 to 18 years. Stipend of Rs 4,000 had been fixed for girls and Rs 3,500 for boys enrolled in secondary school education, 11 and 12 classes in age group of 13 to 22 years.