Supreme Court: SC asks for details on education tax utilisation

Kamal Asfar counsel for NCHD says federal govt can not abdicate its responsibility to support non-formal education.

ISLAMABAD:

The Supreme Court directed Secretary Finance Dr Waqar Masood to disclose how Rs66 billion collected as Iqra or education tax has been spent on education.

A three-member bench, comprising Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry, Justice Khilji Arif Hussain and Justice Tariq Parvez Khan, was hearing petitions on Thursday filed against the closure of basic education community schools. The court asked Attorney General Anwarul Haq to refer the issue of payment of outstanding dues to the government.

More than 15,000 teachers of basic education community schools have not been paid their salaries since July. Teachers maintain that the federal government cannot be absolved of responsibility since the constitution guarantees the right to education to every child between 8 and 16 years of age.

The bench observed that without repealing the relevant law, the National Commission for Human Development (NCHD) and the National Education Foundation (NEF) can not be closed down. Makhdum Ali Khan, amicus curiae, contended that the project could not be discontinued without abolishing the federal legislative list, but additional advocates general pleaded that provinces were not in a position to finance the community schools project.

Kamal Asfar, counsel for NCHD, argued that the federal government could not abdicate its responsibility to support non-formal education. Of the 150,000 students enrolled in non-formal schools, 90 per cent are women. Justice Khilji Arif Hussain remarked if budgetary allocations for the social sector were to be increased, how would the country bear its ministers’ expenses?

The court adjourned hearing till Friday (today).

DMG officers’ appointment challenged

In another case, Provincial Civil Service (PCS) officers challenged the appointments of District Management Group (DMG) officers on provincial posts in the absence of a contract between the federal government and the provinces in the Supreme Court.

A three-member bench headed by Justice Shakirullah Jan served a notice to the federation and sought details of an agreement on postings of government officers. In what is a unique case in the country’s history according to senior advocates, PCS officers have petitioned the apex court against exploitation by DMG officers.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 21^st, 2011.