School upgrade plan faces rollback

PTI govt initiative was started without consultation with teachers

LAHORE:

The Punjab government has planned to roll back the Insaf Afternoon School project, declaring it a failed project of the previous government and deciding not to release funds for 7,000 schools in the annual budget 2022-23.

The provincial government decided to stop the project during the first phase, rolling it back before its second phase.

The project was a cornerstone of the erstwhile Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government, which hailed the endeavour as a successful academic project in the sector.

The first phase of the project was launched at 7,000 schools across Punjab, with plans to expand the initiative in 4,000 more schools. According to the PTI government, following the Insaf project, primary schools would be upgraded to middle class level, while middle schools in the province would be upgraded to high school levels.

Additional classes for students were started at the 7,000 schools, while teacher recruitment was completed. The project was set to continue at the schools, while phase two was due to start in the coming year.

The Punjab School Education Department was depending on funds that were expected to be released in the coming annual budget.

“There will be no funds for the second phase of the Insaf Afternoon School project in the coming budget, effectively meaning that the project was not a priority for the current government,” a senior Punjab school department official stated, adding that the project will also be rolled back after declaring it a failure.

“Obviously when there will be no funds this project cannot continue. The previous government announced that it would release Rs6 billion following the imposition of a Rs1 billion cut,” the official added.

The project had begun declining under the PTI government, while teachers recruited also protested at different platforms regarding delays in their salaries. With the PTI out of power, officials predicted the end of the initiative entirely.

“Now that the initiator of this project is out of government, no one is willing to release funds for this project,” said the senior official.

Secretary General Punjab Teachers Union Rana Liaqat Ali weighed in on the decision as well. The union struggled to get salaries for the project teachers released and it was certain that the project would face financial issues.

According to Ali, the project was reportedly ill-planned and was started without the consultation or input of the teachers.

Teachers engaged in the project reportedly performed duties for 11 to 12 hours a day.

“In the past such projects were started and closed, including Nai Roshni Schools,” Ali added. “We expected the closure of this project as well.”

Following the decision, educators and education bodies demanded a well-planned project from the current Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) government to fulfill the need for projects to improve literacy in Punjab.

 

Published in The Express Tribune, June 13^th, 2022.