Govt schools breathe sigh of relief

Provincial govt releases over Rs7.88B for final quarter of outgoing FY

RAWALPINDI:

In response to the Punjab Ministry of Education's recommendations, the provincial ministry of finance released funds to the 48,000 government schools for the final quarter of the 2023-24 fiscal year, ending their financial woes.

According to sources, the move aims to alleviate the financial challenges schools across the province face.

The funds, totalling approximately Rs7.88 billion have been allocated to the District Education Authorities (DEAs) in all districts of Punjab.

The release of these funds, which was originally scheduled for April 1, was delayed by over a month, causing significant operational challenges for many schools.

The delay led to disruptions such as the disconnection of electricity in several schools due to unpaid bills. Additionally, daily wage workers, including sentry workers and security guards, did not receive their salaries on time. Schools also struggled to pay for essential expenses such as furniture, repairs, cleaning, and other utility bills.

For the Rawalpindi district, an amount of Rs250.33 million has been allocated. Other allocations include Rs160.68 million for the remaining districts in the Rawalpindi division, Rs160.24 million for the Attock district, Rs110.79 million for the Chakwal district, and Rs107.94 million for the Jhelum district.

District Lahore has been allocated Rs238.78 million, while Faisalabad district received the highest allocation at Rs439.72 million.

Multan district has been allotted Rs226.57 million, and Gujranwala district has received Rs297.58 million. Notably, district Rahim Yar Khan received Rs425 million, making it the second-highest allocation after Faisalabad, and district Bahawalnagar received Rs320 million, placing it in the third position.

These allocations come following demands from district education authorities and teachers' organisations to have these expenses released annually instead of quarterly. However, the current practice of quarterly disbursements will continue, with funds being released to the schools by their respective DEAs every quarter.

All schools are expected to receive these funds by Monday, May 20. This infusion of funds will enable them to cover their expenses through June 30, including the payment of overdue salaries to security guards and sentry workers for the past two months. This financial relief is anticipated to restore normal operations and alleviate the financial strain that has plagued these educational institutions due to the delayed release of funds.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 19^th, 2024