Daily Times

PESHAWAR: The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government on Tuesday allocated Rs 111.52 billion for primary and secondary education for the financial year 2016-17 as compared to Rs 97.542 for the financial year 2015-16 with a considerable increase.

Of the total amount Rs673.127million has been set aside for the payment of salaries, Rs 1,489.225 million for non-salaries while development expenditure is Rs16.915 million for the current financial year.

However, as per the Local Government Act 2013, the elementary and secondary education along with adult education and literacy function had been devolved to the local governments. Therefore, a major portion of the current budget Rs 99,857 million of the elementary and secondary education will be devolved to district level entities.

The provincial government has set aside Rs 1.15 billion for primary and secondary education in the province, planning to construct 100 primary and 100 secondary schools. Besides, an amount of Rs1.6 billion has been allocated for special education for the current fiscal year.

It was also recommended that 100 religious seminaries be converted into primary schools while 200 smart schools are to be built along with 500 information technology laboratories in the province. Moreover, Rs1.97 billion has been allocated for human resources and technical education. The document shows that as per the Local Government Act 2013, the elementary and secondary education along with adult education and literacy functions has been devolved to the local governments.

Therefore Rs 99,857.012 million of Elementary & Secondary Education have been devolved to district level entities.

This amount includes a sum of Rs 8.2 billion set aside for the provision of missing facilities in government schools and Rs 6 billion for the creation of 16,960 posts to improve primary education. Preference will be given to promote education at primary level, ensuring gender balance and improving infrastructural requirements, provision of staff, equipment, furniture, teachers training and essential repairs. In his budget speech, KP Finance Minister Muzafar Said said the current government was committed to provide all basic facilities in schools and colleges and provide scholarships opportunities to deserving students. Besides planning to upgrade government run schools, the higher education sector has also planned to provide furnitures, laboratory equipments and ensure clean drinking water facilities in education institutes. He said that construction of additional rooms in colleges, training for teachers, availabilities of computers and books for libraries, installment of solar system, transport facilities in colleges and construction of boundary wall both in schools and colleges are included in current budget.

“In the memory of Army Public School martyrs’ pictures would be displayed at the Archives Public Library,” he said, adding that all flood and earthquake affected schools would be repaired and restored. Repair work of 50 schools, the establishment of 1300 community schools, and continuation of Stoori-de Pakhtunkhwa scholarship program and monthly Rs 200 stipends of 0.4 million students was also included in budget. The provincial government has also allocated Rs 9.4 billion for Higher Education, in which Rs4.78 billion has been set aside for a total of 60 projects, while Rs 3.63 billion is allocated for 45 ongoing schemes. Similarly, the government earmarked Rs1.5 billion for 15 new schemes. Rs 220 million were allocated for higher education, Rs8.4 million for colleges, and Rs 97 million for Archives and Libraries.

The Education Sector Plan (ESP) 2015-20 was strategically developed to cater to the aims of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and Strategic Development Partnership Framework (SDPF). The policy priorities for the current fiscal year would be to achieve SDGs by 2030, including achieving the target of quality education for all, and to ensure that all girls and boys complete free primary and secondary schooling by 2030.

It aims to achieve universal access to a quality higher education and empower Parent Teacher Councils (PTC) for better school management. Enhancing education infrastructure will also be in focus.