Govt under fire over dismal performance

Opposition questions spending on education dept, though schools are in a shamble

KARACHI:

The Sindh education department came under fire in Sindh Assembly on Thursday as opposition lawmakers raised eyebrows over Rs34 billion development budget for the department with dismal performance.

During the debate on fiscal budget for 2023-24, the Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P) MPA Sanjay Perwani drew the house's attention towards thousands of non-functional primary and secondary schools in various districts of Sindh and questioned why new schools were being built when the government cannot run the existing ones.

"When you cannot run the schools then why insist on pumping more money for new buildings that ultimately have to remain shut," he said suggesting restoring closed buildings before any new venture.

Perwani alleged that most of the government schools in Sindh were deprived of basic facilities like drinking water. "Let's come up with pragmatic plan to provide these facilities to existing educational institutions," he said.

The MQM MPA also expressed his discontent over Sindh government grant of Rs50 million for Hindu Council. "We want to know why such a meager amount is given to the Hindu Council," he said. Grand Democratic Alliance (GDA) MPA Rafique Banbhan also criticised the education department for its failure to control the copy culture and said that billions of rupees allocated for various schemes of education department went unspent. "The 15-year performance of the incumbent government paints a gloomy picture," he said.

Banbhan suggested Sindh government to redress severe crisis of irrigation water that continue to affect the seasonal crops every year. MQM-P MPA Mangla Sharma started her speech with exorbitant fee of private schools who according to her are looting parents with both hands. "We have raised this issue on this floor many times, but no one paid heed to it," he said.

She also denounced kidnapping of Hindu girls in Sindh and demanded protection for Hindu community.

Sadaqat Hussain of the MQM-P said it was the 15th consecutive budget of the same government, yet schools lack toilet facilities in Sindh. "The education budget is increased every year, but its outcome is awful," he lamented.

On the other hand, PPP lawmakers applauded the performance of Sindh government and Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah for presenting a balanced budget and enumerated performances in health department.

"Sindh government has made record achievements in the health and education sector. Not only people from other parts of Pakistan, but patients from abroad also visit Sindh to get health facilities," claimed PPP MPA Jam Shabir Ali who belongs to Sanghar district.

He said that around 60,000 teachers had been appointed on merit and no discrimination was done in the recruitment process.

PPP Raja Razzaque in his budget speech criticised the K-Electric for hours-long loadshedding and said that people in his constituency that falls in Malir district suffer from 12 to 18 hours loadshedding. "KE's monopoly should come to an end in Karachi." Razzaque was of the view that other power utility companies should also be inducted in Karachi, adding that it would create competition and eventually benefit the people of Karachi. PPP's Lal Chand Ukrani, Sajeela Laghari, Hizbullah Bughio, Pir Mujeeb-ul-Huq, Yousuf Baloch, Mumtaz Jakhrani, Sadia Javed, Shaheena Sher Ali; MQM-P's Basit Ahmed Siddiqui also spoke on the budget.

During the session, speaker Agha Siraj Durrani congratulated Murtaza Wahab PPP leadership on winning the mayor election and called it a historic victory winning the coveted seat first time in Karachi.

Labour Minister Saeed Ghani accepted that his party has taken advantage of PTI's political weakness in order to get Barrister Murtaza Wahab elected as mayor Karachi.

"The PTI is in the shambles and many leaders and workers are parting ways with it. Its political tricks to take advantage of poltical situation," Ghani said.

Later the house was adjourned till today (Friday).

Published in The Express Tribune, June 16^th, 2023.