Sindh: Possible World Bank Loan for Education

Sindh may get Rs10bn loan from World Bank: Education reforms

By Mukhtar Alam

KARACHI, Nov 8: Sindh may get a significant amount of loan from the World Bank for its educational sector during the next three to four years, it was learnt on authority here on Tuesday.

Sources privy to a meeting of the WB mission with Sindh education minister said that after a plea for investment in Sindh educational plans, the funding agency officials hinted for providing a loan to the tune of Rs10 billion for construction of schools and other academic facilities, provided the government ensures a fool-proof utilization of fund.

The WB mission included Director South Asia Human Development Unit, Julian Schweitzer; Manager Education South Asia Human Development Unit, Michelle Ribound; and Senior Social Sector specialist of WB Pakistan, Tahseen Sayed.

Sindh Secretary Education Ghulam Ali Pasha and Additional Secretary (Schools) Iqbal Durrani were also present on the occasion.

The bank’s officials told the minister that a team of technical experts and financial managers would meet the provincial education department officials in December to finalize the three-year plan for promotion of education in Sindh, added the source.

However, the visiting delegation expressed certain reservations based on their experiences pertaining to a couple of educational plans affected in 90s and hoped that the agreed terms and conditions for any future plan would be observed in its real sense, said the source.

Dr Hamida Khuhro apprised the WB team about the problems and needs of education in the province and mentioned that the real concern of Sindh government was out-of-school children and those leaving schools after passing primary classes.

She said that the problems existed due to insufficient infrastructure and lack of awareness among the rural population. “Now people are eager to get their daughters educated but we don’t have sufficient schools to offer education to our girls,” she added.

The minister said that the government was fully committed to dedicate major portion of resources to education sector. She pointed out that a very efficient and result-oriented team of Executive District Officers (education) would be brought forward at district level to carry out reforms in education.

She asked the WB team to extend their support to the education department for constructing schools for girls up to middle-level, along with the provision of missing facilities at all levels.

In a separate meeting, Sindh Secretary Education Ghulam Ali Pasha along with Additional Secretary Iqbal Durrani informed the delegation that the number of primary schools in Sindh was 40,559 with a total enrolment of 2,790,161 children. The number of students getting education in 2,400 middle schools and 1,543 secondary schools stood as 480,710 and 246,565 respectively.

According to the officials, the figures of out-of-school children at primary, middle and secondary schools were 3,761,227, 2,388,431 and 1,132,524 respectively. The bank officials were told that 31 per cent (13,967) of the government schools in the province were shelterless, while 45 per cent (19,880) were without electricity, 27 per cent (11,854) were without water, 28 per cent (12,309) were without boundary wall, 25 per cent (11,176) were without toilets and 14 per cent (6,300) were closed or non-functional.

About the establishment of a Reform Support Unit, Mr Pasha said that it would function as provincial think-tank. It was further stated that the government would ensured sustainability and ownership of RSU, while the RSU proposals would be included in government policies and implemented accordingly.