By Our Staff Reporter
QUETTA: Over 10000 parents, teachers, school management committees have been formed to check cluster budget of primary, middle and high schools across Balochistan. The education department has devolved all financial powers to headmasters/ headmistress of all high schools in Balochistan to ensure better utilization of funds.
“This time over 10000 committees have been formed to make sure transparency in terms of funds”, Ghullam Ali Baloch, the Secretary Education Balochistan tells Quetta Voice. Under the policy, the school head is bound to take all committee members on board while sending demand notice to the cluster head, Mr. Baloch said.
In Balochistan, the number of government run primary, middle and high schools is over 14000. Balochistan’s district Kech has formed over 700 parents teaches committees while implementing the decision 100 percent. Similarly, district Panjgur has formed 92 percent of committees to make sure better utilization of funds for government run schools.
“For members of committee, enrollment of their sons/daughters in the same school is mandatory”, the Secretary education mentioned.
The Balochistan government has allocated over 1 billion rupees to provide basic facilities to government run schools across the province. Earlier, the district education officer used to spend the budget for all schools in his/ her district. The education department then decided to devolve all financial powers to concerned school heads to make sure transparency and timely provision of basic facilities to schools after thorough consultations.
“The system is good and empowers teachers and parents at gross roots level to judiciously spend funds”, Syed Mairaj Agh, one of the cluster heads remarked. Average, the cluster budget is from Rs. 2 million to 3 million. Whereas, there are schools whose cluster budget surpass Rs. 5 million, Munir Nodezai, the additional directors schools Balochistan said.
Provision of missing facilities to government schools has always been a challenge for the government. Delaying tactics and bureaucratic hurdles in this regard severely affected the education of students in the province.
