Sindh Education Dept suffering from IT system outage for 20 days

Author: Muzammil Ferozi

Sindh Education and Literacy Department has become a battleground as rifts between Secretary Education, Qazi Shahid Parvez and former IT in-charge Shahid Hussain Abro become critical.

The two are at loggerheads over the issuance of fake salary to employees while no such data is found in the system.

Daily Times has learnt that the data system has been turned off since the last 20 days with all relevant data removed or banished.

Despite this error, the pensions, dues and salaries were transferred. The department’s website has also been down.

Earlier on May 17, the department had transferred the IT in-charge to Korangi Higher School while his designation was presented to Additional Secretary Tehseen Fatima, who already held three posts. She already had the charge of Primary DO; School Additional Secretary and HR Director.

Abro is accused of removing the content from the system.

Meanwhile, he maintained that many of the employees were absent and salaries to the tune of Rs 12 million had been given to them. However, since the biometric details of several employees could not be verified, the issuance of orders for salaries, pensions, and transfers was disrupted.

A four-member team would investigate the matter as directed by School Education Secretary Qazi Parvez Shahid.

The team would be led by Reform Support Unit Head Asif Ikram and include Monitoring and Evolution Director General Shahmir Bhutto as well as IT Assistant Professor Saein Daud Tunio. However, Professor Tunio is also controversial due to NAB investogation.

According to sources within the Education Department, the Department had confirmed that the data of 140,000 employees were fully protected in the Department of Education.

They further added that Abro was transferred because he had provided some evidence to NAB while the original suspects in the four-billion-corruption scandal were being unsuccessfully concealed. The IT system was down after Abro’s transfer; leading to much inconvenience for other employees. A private IT expert team has also confirmed that the system was out of order.