Balochistan Education Sector Plan, Go beyond words
Editorial :
Much has been said about the Balochistan Education Sector Plan (BESP) 2020-25 on the official level and among the academia and international donor agencies. Undoubtedly, some officers of the education department and donor agencies deserve appreciation for preparing the Plan.
The estimated cost of the five years BESP is Rs. 72 billion as per the data shared with journalists during a function in this regard in Quetta the other day. Attractive banners, books, and brushers with the best paper quality were given to the participants of the function held at Quetta’s luxury hotel. As usual, very few individuals bothered to read the information in bags given to them by organizers of the function.
The Secondary Education Department had prepared the BESP 2020-25 in collaboration with European Union, Global Partnership for Education (GPE), and UNICEF. Thanks to these organizations for extending support to the Balochistan government in improving the quality of education. Nevertheless, these international donor agencies should also go beyond words and ensure sustainable efforts to improve the state of education in Balochistan.
Most of the teachers, parents are unaware of BESP 2020-25
When educationists, academicians, bureaucrats, ministers, and representatives of donor agencies were addressing the BESP function, parents and teachers in remote remained unaware of the Plan. This daily asked some teachers and parents about the BESP 2020-25. They simply said, “What is this?”.
Subsequently, the target group is unaware of the BESP 2020-25 and the multi-billion rupees spending on the Project. Most of the speakers spoke about the quality of education. In reality, speaking about the quality of education is like daydreaming in Balochistan, lagging behind other provinces of the country in terms of key social indicators.
Over 6,000 schools with one teacher in Balochistan
The education minister Naseebullah Marri lamented that 70,000 teachers and the quality still low. Palvasha Jalalzai, the education specialist of UNICEF put some critical questions about the one-teacher one-school, teachers training in Balochistan.
To be very precise, the government and donor agencies should come out of Quetta’s only luxury hotel and mobile teachers, parents, political people, media, and religious scholars at the district level to improve the state of education in Balochistan.
