Daily Times

KARACHI: After its failure to implement the self set goals of formal education in the province, the Sindh government has devised a parallel strategy of introducing non-formal education that aims at opening more than 100 new schools with the help of non-profit organizations (NGOs) at a cost of Rs 40 million, Daily Times has learnt.

According to sources, the Schools Education Department, instead of re-opening closed schools in the province, has prepared a plan namely Non Formal Education and Alternative Learning Policy 2016 and the same has been sent to the Sindh Assembly’s Standing Committee on Education for approval.

Interestingly, sources have informed that Free and Compulsory Education Act, 2013 has been enforced in the Sindh province however the authorities have failed to ensure its implementation with true spirit. The irony is that more than 59 percent which means 6.1 million children are out of school in the province.

Under the new strategy, those students who had left their education for some reason who were aged between 9 to 16 years would be enrolled in the schools or the centers created by the NGOs. Those aging from 15 to 29 would be admitted in the centers to be established under the supervision of Director Non Formal Education.

“Any registered NGO can open an education center while the funding would be provided by the Sindh’s schools education department. These NGOs can run these centers at private property and can even use the government school building for the same”, sources added.

Sources further added that these funding would be arranged from international donors, while the female students would be provided with some stipend under Benazir Income Support Program (BISP) or Waseela-e-Haq.

According to sources, the Sindh Education Foundation and the NGOs will do nothing and would just mint money since the former-Managing Director (MD) of SEF Aziz Kabani was terminated following corruption charges.