During his visit of government schools in Shangla district, Khyber Pukhtunkhwa Information Minister Shaukat Yousafzaizi disclosed allocations for the promotion of education in the province will be increased by 20 percent in the budget for the next fiscal year. It is not yet clear whether this increase would be made for the development expenditure in the shape opening new schools and expanding the infrastructure of existing ones. It is pertinent to mention that funds released to the Headmasters and Principals of schools under the head of parents-teachers council are not properly utilised for improvement of existing infrastructure. In the past complaints of embezzlement were reported in the use of this fund.
Increase in budgetary allocations for elementary and secondary education will be beneficial only when its utilisation is properly monitored in the matters pertaining to the printing and supply in abundance of quality text books, lab equipments and chemicals. Glaring inefficiencies have been witnessed in these matters. Textbooks and their work books for the current academic year are neither available in the store of Khyber Pukhtunkhwa Text Book Board nor on book shops. The high-ups of Text Book Board are making hollow promises to the owners of bookshops for the supply of fresh stock of books perhaps for the want of funds. A reverse gear is now being applied to the education sector reforms initiated in the previous PTI government by the incumbent advisor on education with on cards first step of abolishing the Independent Monitoring Unit (IMU) which has contributed in a big way towards improving pedagogy and punctuality in government schools.
