KARACHI: The Education and Literacy Department, Sindh has used only 31 percent funds of budget till the first week of May 2017, as Sindh government had allocated Rs 17,233.00 million for education in the current financial year 2016-17, to be ended two weeks later, Daily Times has learnt. In the current fiscal year, Sindh government has apportioned Rs 12,394.218 million for on-going educational schemes. Those schemes were almost initiated previously but they were under progress or to be continued further expectedly. However, Rs 4,838.782 million were allocated for new schemes and those new schemes have been initiated this year. According to the summary of public sector development program 2016-17 including Foreign Project Assistance (FPA), 172 on-going projects were looked after by education department and Sindh government had kept Rs 12,394.218 million to maintain those previously initiated programs. In this regard, the finance department had released Rs 9913.210 million as funds. However, Rs 5219.075 million of funds were expended for all those on-going schemes and projects which demonstrate 42 percent utilization of funds of the total allocated budget. Along with those schemes, the provincial government has also initiated 225 new schemes in the education sector this year. For those newly commenced schemes, Rs 4,838.782 million funds were allocated in the provincial budget 2016-17. However, finance department released Rs 1270.281 million of budget but expenditures remained for Rs 123.684 million on those newly started projects. Thus utilization of funds for new projects in the education sector was 2.5 percent only which indicates lethargic and aberrant attitude of the Sindh government towards quality education. Since 5 May 2017, the finance department has released Rs 11,183.491 million funds entirely but education department has made a sum of expenditures totaling to Rs 5,342.759 million in this current fiscal year. Similarly, education department has used 31 percent while finance department has released 47.8 percent of funds. Then again, state of quality education remained deteriorating in the province and thousands of students are out of schools reportedly. According to the Pakistan Education Statistics 2015-16 released by the Federal Education ministry in February 2017, around 6,667,268 children of primary level, middle, high and higher secondary were out of schools. It is pertinent to mention here that there are 45,682 educational institutes which are functioning in the province including 41,131 primary schools, 2,329 Middle schools, 1,696 high schools, 291 higher Secondary, 41 Inter colleges and 194 Degree colleges. Due to the densely students enrollment, per class accommodation space is becoming an emerging issue. In those state-run schools and colleges around 4,479,154 students have been enrolled. The ratio for students observed per class as 43 students per class in primary schools, around 102 students have been accommodated per class at middle schools and 109 students per class in high and higher secondary schools. In addition, thousands of schools having no basic facilities which include clean drinking water, electricity, furniture, boundary walls and toilets.” Boundary walls and access to toilets are the most important and basic factors that settle on survival rate of the students, especially girls students enrolled in schools and colleges”, Regional Campaign Coordinator of the Alif Ailaan, Sikander Bizenjo informed.