The much-hyped Prime Minister’s Education Sector Reforms Programme (PMESRP) initiated by the then prime minister Nawaz Sharif in December 2015 could face hiccup because of non-release of the much-needed funds for the project.
Sources privy to the development told Pakistan Today that the programme was launched with great fanfare, but at present it lost attraction, because the required funds had not been released for the project.
They said that the project was launched to upgrade facilities in 422 schools and colleges in the federal capital, functioning under the Federal Directorate of Education (FDE); however despite lapse of around two years, only 22 schools and colleges have been up-graded so far. In July, 2017, Capital Administration and Development Division (CADD) sought release of funds for the first quarter of the fiscal year in order to the complete the ongoing projects timely.
The CADD ministry in a letter to Ministry of Planning, Development and Reforms, a copy of which is available with Pakistan Today, demanded release of the total allocated funds of Rs 1742.000 million in Public Sector Development Programme (PSDP) 2017-18 for Renovation/Rehabilitation of physical infrastructure of 200 education institutions under the PMESRP in Islamabad during the first quarter so as to complete the work by September this year.
Despite the fact that physical progress of the project was zero; the ministry claimed that since the work has been awarded and civil work is planned to be completed by September 15, 2017.
However, the sources said that even then fund has not been released for the second phase of the project which is supposed to be completed hitherto.
The project, a brainchild of Nawaz Sharif’s daughter Maryam Nawaz, had already suffered a huge blow due to her departure from the PM House following disqualification of her father Nawaz Sharif by Supreme Court in Panama case.
Maryam Nawaz, through a committee comprising few MNAs and the FDE officials, was monitoring the project aimed at improving the infrastructure of 422 educational institutions functioning under the FDE.
The 18th amendment inserted Article 25-A, making elementary education a fundamental right. These rights are inalienable and justiciable. Nevertheless, even in these inflationary days of petitions and suo motus, the right to education seems to have evinced little interest.
When contacted, Project Director Waqas Ahmed said that some funds have been released and work on up-gradation of over 100 more educational institutions is in progress.
He, however, said that there was an issue of fund release and even now complete funds had not been released for the second phase.
Waqas said that up-gradation and renovation of 200 schools would hopefully be completely by December this year if the required funds have been released timely.
He went on to say that first time in the country’s history such an important programme had been initiated; hence he would make all-out efforts to complete the project because it’s an issue of children future.
