Daily Times

Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah on Wednesday directed the School Education Department to decentralise primary schools’ management by handing over administrative and financial powers to headmasters of Basic Pay Scale (BPS)-17.

He issued these directives while presiding over a meeting to review development schemes of School Education Department and work out new uplift portfolio for the next financial year. The meeting was attended by Education Minister Syed Sardar Shah, P&D Chairperson Naheed Shah, Principal Secretary to CM Sajid Jamal Abro, Education Secretary Kazi Shahid Pervez, Finance Secretary Najam Shah, Colleges Secretary Pervez Sihar, P&D Secretary Shireen Narejo, Chief Economist Fatah Tunio and other officers concerned.

Murad Ali Shah said that decentralisation of primary school management by empowering headmasters of grade BPS-17 with administrative and financial powers would be a best way to utilise budget at the primary school level.

It may be noted that at present Rs 2 billion of school specific budget and Rs 500 million for innovative initiatives are under the control of the Education Department. The schools through their DEOs and directors keep requesting the secretariat to release their budget and it took a long time to trickle down.

Education Secretary Kazi Shahid Pervez told the chief minister that 201 schemes, including 199 ongoing and two new were in progress with an allocation of Rs 15,150 million against which Rs 8,284.5 million have been released while the expenditures by end April have been recorded at Rs 4,194.3 million.

The department proposed to start 149 new schemes in the next ADP. At this, the chief minister said that he would have a very thin allocation for new schemes. “I am trying to complete the ongoing schemes on a priority basis in the next budget,” he said.

The education minister said that he had a plan to construct 179 two-room buildings for shelterless primary schools in 19 districts with a proposed cost of Rs 1,168 million. He also proposed rehabilitation of 29 high enrolment dangerous primary/elementary school buildings for Rs 2,610 million.