‘Developing a nation’: Education budget split into four heads, development funds go down by Rs0.7b

KARACHI:

When the finance minister announced the education budget on Saturday afternoon, he claimed that the government is going to spend more on the department - Rs13.2 billion to be exact. But these development funds are going to be split into universities boards, technical education and special education, which makes the actual development budget for the education department to be a mere Rs10 billion, which is a Rs0.7 billion decrease from last year.

Despite the decrease, the Sindh government proudly announced that, "The Government of Sindh envisages providing quality education to all, enabling our children to realise their full potential." In fact, the finance minister's speech claimed that education is the single most important factor in the development of a nation.

Nevertheless, the education department keeps the largest chunk, 28.64 per cent, of the provincial budget. It is merely the development part of the spending that will face the brunt. In the upcoming fiscal year 2015-2016, the development budget allocated to the education sector is Rs13.2 billion, which includes the allocations made under separate sections on universities and boards (Rs2 billion), Sindh Technical Education and Vocational Training Authority (Rs1 billion) and special education (Rs200 million).

As finance minister Murad Ali Shah presented the budget, he mentioned that a total of 195 ongoing and new schemes will be financed from the budget. Around Rs2.06 billion have been allocated for 71 new schemes for the education department, he announced.

Nearly Rs700 million rupees have allocated for the construction of multi-purpose halls and career development centres at Sukkur, Shaheed Benazirabad and Larkana. A total of Rs175 million have been allocated for the scheme this year. "The building will serve the students of the area to give their papers under one roof, which will help us stop copy culture," education secretary Fazlullah Pechuho told The Express Tribune.

Surprisingly, the education department budget failed to show allocations for the provincial higher education commission and the proposed College of Physicians and Surgeons for Sindh. Both these projects were approved by the Sindh Assembly.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 14^th, 2015.