Govt schools face fund shortage to print papers

Annual exams of class-I to class-VIII likely to face delay for indefinite period

RAWALPINDI:

As the country contends with its worst financial crisis since independence in, exams for millions of students may be in jeopardy as government schools have no funds to print papers for class-I to class-VIII.

The annual examination of class-I to class-VIII, scheduled in the first week of March, is facing a delay an indefinite period due to an acute shortage of funds for printing question papers and their photocopies.

Teachers said that primary schools cannot hold the examination as they had no funds to print question papers and further make sets of photocopies.

The teachers said the problem could hold up the examination for around 11.9 million students in the province including in the Rawalpindi division.

The Punjab Teachers’ Union has sent a letter to the education secretary for schools seeking an immediate release of funds to print the question papers and make their xerox copies for 11.9 million students studying in government schools.

Sources said that each class has five papers for 30 to 60 students, and at least Rs175 was required for making photocopies of each paper per student.

The sources said that up to Rs7 are needed for a single photostat copy in the market. They said that the non-salary budget given to schools was not even enough to cover the utility bills. They said that the budget for the current quarter has not been released.

The sources said that not a single school has funds to print question papers, whereas every school needs millions of rupees for this purpose.

Punjab Teachers’ Union Central Secretary-General Rana Liaquat said that a letter has been sent to the education secretary for schools reminding him of the severe financial crisis. He said that if funds were not provided immediately, the conduct of annual examinations in government schools will be at risk.

Sources said that to resolve the issue, a proposal has been sent to allow schools to collect Rs200 per student under the head of the annual examination. According to the sources, if Rs200 is collected from 11.9 million students, the education department can collect a total of Rs13.80 million annually. According to sources, due to the severe financial crisis, students of class-I to class-V were likely to be promoted without the examination.

 

Published in The Express Tribune, February 25^th, 2023.