Education: ‘Misappropriation of funds main cause for backwardness’

Civil society activists, educationalists should highlight flaws in education sector spending to discourage corruption.

ISLAMABAD:

Civil society activists and educationalists should highlight the flaws in spending in the education sector to discourage corruption.

This was said at a three-day workshop on “Education Budget Tracking” that concluded here on Saturday. The workshop aimed to spread awareness on allocation of funds in the education sector and was held by Pakistan Coalition for Education (PCE) in collaboration with the Institute of Social and Policy Science.

Participants noted that corruption and misappropriation of funds are the key factors behind backwardness in the country.

Siddique Tareen, a trainer, said, “There is a strong need for more simplicity in budget making, as it helps in understanding the allocation of funds and their spending.”

“The actual issue is not the meagre allocation, but the corruption at different stages of spending,” said Sajida Khan, a civil society representative.

The participants were also asked to identify the reasons behind low attendance in public schools and propose alternative methods in utilising the budget.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 15^th, 2012.