Daily Times

Benazir Income Support Programme and Sindh Colleges Department here on Monday signed a memorandum of understanding to extend financial support to the children of BISP beneficiaries’ families to stop drop out and help the poor but genius students to continue their higher education.

Sindh Director General Colleges, Prof. Ghulam Mustafa Charan and BISP’s DG Co-responsibility Cash Transfer and Waseela-e-Taaleem, Naveed Akbar signed the MoU, which was witnessed by Sindh Secretary Colleges, Khalid Hyder Shah and BISP’s Director General (Sindh Chapter) Ms. Fozia Basharat Samo.

The MoU is aimed to build partnership in BISP and Colleges’ Education Department effective implementation of co-responsibility cash transfer (CCT) under Waseela-e-Taleem programme in the province for the promotion of higher secondary/Intermediate level of education of children of BISP beneficiary families.

The proposed higher secondary education CCT Programme would work as a safety net and a viable option to invest in human capital development from the most vulnerable and marginalized families in Sindh.

Secretary Colleges Khalid Hyder Shah and D.G. Colleges Prof.Ghulam Mustafa Charan assured the BISP team of full cooperation and support to make this programme a big success towards social uplift of the depressed section of the society.

They said College Education Department would provide supply-side data for capacity analysis to facilitate the beneficiaries in selecting the higher secondary schools and colleges for enrollment of their children under the higher secondary CCT Programme.

It would also facilitate BISP officials with access to higher secondary schools/colleges and school registers for verifying attendance data of enrolled children of BISP families on quarterly basis.

It was decided that BISP in collaboration with Colleges Department would hold trainings sessions at district level in the province for the Principals and Vice Principals of 340 Government Colleges, who would further give orientation/training to their teachers and staff.

For strengthening this equation, BISP would create “ User” with access Colleges Department officials, Principals of the colleges and students who could easily register themselves with BISP for stipends.

BISP’s D.G-CCT said that his organization might provide “Tablet” computer device to the principals for effective sharing of data at both ends. Of total 340, 150 government colleges are in Karachi.

BISP’s D.G., CCT Naveed Akbar briefed that Federal Government had decided to add higher secondary (11and 12) standard students in Waseela-e-Taleem Programme—an educational conditional cash transfer project. Under the project, cash grants to children from the poorest families registered with BISP on 70 per cent attendance in their schools; then it would be verified from the concerned colleges /higher secondary schools’ attendance record after every three months. The

stipend would be released to the students in quarterly parts to ensure the right use of the amount. The beneficiary students would loose this support in case of failure in XI year exam.

Moreover, he added, the digitization of the project was aimed at enhancing primary and secondary school enrollments and minimizing drop-outs.

He said Federal Government, recently, has increased the quarterly stipend amount to Rs 2000 for girls and Rs1500 for boys enrolled in Primary education between age of 4 and 12 years. Rs3000 and Rs 2500 would be given to girls and boys respectively enrolled with high school education from 6 to 10 classes between the age of 8 to 18 years.

The stipend of Rs 4000 had been fixed for girls and Rs 3500 for boys enrolled in secondary school education, 11 and 12 classes in age group of 13 to 22 years.

Sindh Secretary Colleges mentioned that major drop out was after primary education, thus it was more important for BISP to extend financial support in the shape of stipends in 6 and 7 classes to encourage the poor families to continue education of the children.

The meeting decided to keep strong liaison and partnership to get the real results of this revolutionary step from the Federal Government under BISP; which meant improve the life of the poor segment of the society in different ways.