Long neglected education sector does not seem to be one of the top priorities even for new government's economic managers as they plan to freeze the development budget for this key area. The Education Ministry on Thursday informed a Senate panel it would get only Rs 5 billion under the Public Sector Development Programme (PSDP) in coming fiscal year.

The amount is Rs 8 billion short of what it had demanded. A top official said that the ministry asked the Finance Division to allocate Rs 13.1 billion. But bureaucrats tasked to determine how much money should go to which area decided to keep the amount limited to the last year's level, indicating what can be called a non-serious official approach towards the education sector. And the story doesn't only relate to what will happen in the future. Like past, present is not so glorious either.

The ministry's official said that Rs 935 million could not be released for 12 projects during the third quarter of this fiscal year. The Senate Committee on Education discussed in detail the overall financial position of the ministry and the utilisation of the budget allocated in current fiscal year and the proposed allocations for 2008-09.

It deplored the fact that budget allocation for the fourth quarter for both the Higher Education Commission (HEC) and the Ministry of Education had not been released and apprehended that such a dismal state of affairs would affect the quality of education.

It called upon the Finance Division to take appropriate steps in this regard and immediately release funds to enable the HEC and the ministry to complete its ongoing projects. Members of the committee were of the view that education held key to the socio-economic prosperity and therefore, no delays should be made in releasing funds.

It was advised that four percent of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) should be allocated for the education and serious attention must be given to the areas, which were lagging behind. The committee called upon the government to minimise cuts in the budget for education.

I think that the government is saving money btw Parh likh kar konsa collector bana he !!! I really hate this attitude in Pakistan even my granpa used to say this to my mum when she wanted to do her BA.

Seriously, they are actually curtailing education budget?
Ok, US Aid allocated few millions to Pakistan, in which a couple of millions was for education as well, what happened to those few?

Again in previous government term the education budget kept going higher and higher(it doesnt matter if someone says that it never got spent cause its always the case with every government) things did look better at that time and now they are saying that they havent got enough money for EDUCATION


SPEEDY
enjoy

I think the education budget is part of the public development funds...those were IMF's first targets when Ishaq Dar ran to them for a loan.

Cut public development, you cut education, health & infrastructure.

Ishaq Dar should be hung upside down with by his balls, than he should be forced to earn an MBA in that position from an ivey league school

Only then he might become fit to run a corner store.

QUOTE(Shehz @ May 23 2008, 11:59 AM)
Seriously, they are actually curtailing education budget?
Ok, US Aid allocated few millions to Pakistan, in which a couple of millions was for education as well, what happened to those few?

I think the education budget is part of the public development funds...those were IMF's first targets when Ishaq Dar ran to them for a loan.

Cut public development, you cut education, health & infrastructure.

Never before had education been taken as a priority and earlier we use to have only 50 Phd / annum, but due to the work of the past govt. or rather Dr. Atta Ur Rehman it rose up to 250 to 300 Phd.'s per annum.

So many educational institutes poped up, I would not say that on the ground nothing has happened !