900 ghost schools gobbling funds, says CM

Alleges that officials were bribed during NTS testing for teachers

QUETTA:

Balochistan Chief Minister Dr Abdul Malik Baloch has disclosed that the provincial government is spending 70 percent of its annual budget on salaries to public servants sparing an insufficient Rs40 billion for development.

Delivering a hard hitting speech on the occasion of “Salam Teacher” at the Directorate of Education here on Monday, Dr Malik said that concerned officials and teachers are using pressure tactics to receive excessive funding for the 900 ghost schools where they show 0.3 million students are enrolled and receiving regular education.

In a way, he conceded that officials of the Education Department are committing fraud with the government.

He further disclosed that during the NTS test for recruitment of teachers, moves were made to seek bribes in return for the posts of teacher in the education department. The chief minister said that he had personal knowledge about such ugly developments.



He was of the view that the day teachers and college lecturers change their attitude and devote their energies on educating students, “it will be the beginning of a revolution in the education field”.

The CM made a fervent appeal to teachers and officials of the education department to revisit their performance and role in society so as to bring about a qualitative change in the situation.

He strongly condemned the tendency to demand more and more resources and when asked about performance, individual or collective, officials claim they lack resources. They used it as a shield to their incompetency and inefficiency, Dr Malik said.

Referring to the agriculture sector in Balochistan, CM Baloch disclosed the fact that Balochistan had more employees in its agriculture department than that of Punjab province, however all the display agriculture farms and centres are in a shambles.

Adviser to the Chief Minister on Education also addressed the gathering on this occasion.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 6^th, 2015.