“The KP government is the only provincial government in the country which has continuously been increasing budgetary allocations for education for the last three years,” claims the minister, while talking to Cutting Edge at a seminar held last month in Peshawar.
This year, too, he adds, the provincial government allocated a huge sum of Rs. 143 billion for education. The share of school education has increased from Rs. 104 billion in 2015-16 to Rs. 119 billion in 2016-17, representing an increase of Rs. 15 billion. During each of the last two years, an 11% increase in the Elementary and Secondary Education Department (EandSED) budget was recorded.
But in 2016-17, this budget was increased by 14%, the highest during the last three years, which showed government’s commitment to provide free and quality education to all across the province.
The break-up of allocations shows that Rs. 12.453 billion has been given for 72 education projects. Rs. 10.030 billion will be spent on 64 ongoing projects and eight new projects will get Rs. 2.422 billion.
According to the minister, major targets of the new budget are provision for special initiatives, establishment of 200 smart schools, first-ever Girls Cadet College at Mardan, Cadet College at Swat, 1,300 girls community schools, 160 new primary schools, 500 IT labs in high and higher secondary schools, up-gradation of 50 primary, 50 middle and 50 high schools on need basis, and standardization of 200 higher secondary schools. Also, stipends to girl students from class 6 to 10 at the rate of Rs. 200 per month will continue in the current academic year, promises the minister.
Referring to Alif Ailaan comparison, the minister says that education received a 20% share of the provincial budget in Sindh, Punjab allocated 19% of its budget for education, Balochistan earmarked 17%, while KP allocated 24% of its budget for the sector, which is highest among the all four federating units.
However, the minister fails to mention that the development budget for EandSED was revised from Rs. 16 billion to Rs. 11.5 billion in 2015-16. Therefore, if the department did not get its complete share at the end of the year, the allocation might be reduced, like in the previous year.
The budget document shows the highest increase in the EandSED’s non-salary component i.e., the budget that is used for operation, maintenance and for routine activities of the department and its subordinate offices. At the school level, the non-salary budget includes allocations for items like classroom consumables, repair of furniture and other petty repairs in schools.
The minister believes that if there is an inadequate non-salary budget for schools, they will be unable to provide quality services to students. Keeping this in view, the KP provincial government increased the non-salary budget for EandSED from Rs. 8 billion in 2015-16 to Rs. 14 billion in 2016-17, clarifies the minister.
However, the minister could not give a satisfactory reply to a question about effectiveness of the non-salary budget. He was told that the non-salary component did not align with international and national best practices. For 2015-16, it included a block allocation for conditional grants worth Rs. 3 billion. The per classroom rate structure for classroom consumables and petty repairs was quite low. Annually, schools are provided with a budget for classroom consumables at the rate of Rs. 5,000 per classroom and for petty repairs for Rs. 6,000 per classroom, which is quite insufficient.
Educationists believe that if the EandSED does not come up with a robust strategy that departs from previous practices of spending of non-salary budget, this year’s increase might not bring about any good to the students of KP.
The education budget document also mentions construction of 100 primary and 100 secondary schools at a cost of Rs. 11.52 billion. Also, Rs. 1.69 billion has been reserved for special education in the financial year 2016-17.
The minister regrets criticism of even appreciable projects. He says allocations have also been made in the education budget for converting 100 madrassas into primary schools. A big chunk of Rs. 1,970 million has been reserved for human resource and technical education and, for the first time in the history of the province, a stipend will be given on monthly basis to 500 artists, poets, and intellectuals.
The budget document says 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, a major portion of the current education budget, Rs. 99,857 million of Elementary and Secondary Education has been devolved to district-level entities.
The allocation also includes Rs. 8,000 million for providing for the missing facilities in the government schools, while additional Rs. 6 billion has been allocated for creation of 16,960 posts to improve access to, and quality of, primary education. The main focus of new projects is to promote education at primary level, create a gender balance, and fulfil the infrastructural requirements of existing institutions including staff, equipment, furniture, teachers' training and essential repairs, adds the education minister.
Allocations for higher education have also been increased from 2015’s Rs. 4 billion to Rs. 6 billion in 2016-17. The government also plans to install open WiFi in public places and universities, promotion of academic research and a culture of science among the youth, development and innovation, and a portal for IT scholarships.
This year, around 800 new teachers will be recruited for new colleges, the minister reveals. At least 60 new colleges will be constructed across the province, he adds. The break-up of allocations shows that Rs. 220.5 million has been set aside for higher education, Rs. 8,417 million for general colleges, Rs. 761 million for technical universities and colleges and Rs. 97 million for Archives and Libraries.
The KP provincial government also created a controversy this year when in allocated Rs. 300 million for a famous madrassa, Darul Uloom Haqqania. The purpose has been described as construction and rehabilitation of the madrassa.
Rejecting the objections, the education minister says it is the alma mater of many distinguished scholars. Also, hundreds of students study in this madrassa and they too have a right on the national exchequer, the minister claims.
Education Minister Muhammad Atif’s tall claims aside, the provincial government has so far failed to enact the compulsory law on the Right To Education (RTE) under Article 25-A of the Constitution of Pakistan. The UN committee asked in its annual report 2016 why the RTE bill in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa was pending.
On the other hand, educationists believe that Rs. 8 billion earmarked for provision of missing facilities in government schools in KP were quite insufficient. “[The amount] will not even [help in putting] furniture at schools,” education budget expert Malik Masood says. The province has around 28,000 schools and most of them lack facilities. The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Independent Monitoring Unit said in its May 2016 report that 26% of the government schools do not have potable water facility, and 10% have no boundary walls, despite the province facing a sensitive law and order situation. Also, 11% schools have no toilets and 34% have no electricity connections.
According to an NGO report, published in December last year, around 100 girl’s schools damaged in different parts of KP by the earthquake almost eight years ago, have still not be reconstructed. However, no attention has ever been paid to the plight of those getting education in these damaged schools.
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