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4,700 schools to be rehabiliated in federal capital
RAWALPINDI, April 30(Dawn): The federal government is to launch a project to
rehabilitate and improve the condition of over 4,700 schools, including 81 in
the federal capital, which have been found below the required standard by a
survey conducted by the Pakistan Army.
These schools situated across the
country lack basic facilities including computer and science laboratories,
electricity, additional classrooms, drinking water, toilets, shelter and
boundary walls.
Under the plan submitted to the Planning Commission for
approval by the Central Development Working Party (CDWP) early next week, on an
average basis, Rs1.4 million would be spent on each school to remove the
deficiencies over a period of five years. The project will be implemented
through the military operation directorate in collaboration with provincial and
district governments under the Education Sector Reform (ESR) programme of the
president.
The project costing Rs24,871 million is stated to be in line
with the objectives of the social sector to address various issues. The
government has already spent over Rs5 billion on the ESR programme during
2001-06, according to the working paper.
The working paper submitted to
the Planning Commission states that there is an allocation of Rs1,050 million in
the current Public Sector Development Programme (PSDP). The amount of Rs2,156.74
million demanded for financial year 2006-07 would not be utilised appropriately
as only two months of the current financial year has been left.
The
report says 4,702 schools in 19 districts are lacking facilities. After the
survey, 985 schools have been selected in 13 districts where all the missing
facilities like shelter, boundary walls, additional classrooms, toilets,
drinking water, electricity, computer and science laboratories would be
provided.
Only 21 per cent of the schools selected would be rehabilitated
under the proposed programme, while the rest would be considered in the next
phase.
In the 19 districts, there were 18,716 schools, out of which 4,702
were selected and the ratio of selection came to 21 per cent.
In
Islamabad, 81 schools out of a total of 405 were surveyed and all selected,
which means all the schools in the federal capital lacked facilities.
In
Punjab, the districts of Bhakkar, Rajanpur, Kasur, Rawalpindi, Narowal and
Bahawalnagar were selected with a total of 8,186 schools. Out of that 2,747 were
surveyed but none was selected.
In the Jaccobabad and Tharparkar
districts of Sindh, all the 343 schools surveyed out of 5,227 were
selected.
In the districts of Swabi and Dera Ismail Khan, 760 schools out
of 2,464 were surveyed while only 282 were selected.
In Balochistan, the
districts of Dera Bugti and Musa Khel were covered, and out of 553 schools, 386
were surveyed and only 121 selected.
In Bajaur and Kurram agencies of
Fata, which have 1,017 schools, 200 were surveyed while only 48 were
selected.
In Azad Jammu and Kashmir, 145 schools were surveyed in Mirpur
and Sudhnoti out of 570 institutions, while 70 were selected.
There were
294 schools in Gilgit and Skardu in the Northern Areas, out of which 40 were
surveyed and selected.
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