Karachi, 11 Oct 2023:A pivotal release of Rs 1 billion for textbook printing and an incisive directive for the development of a digital monitoring system in colleges were the prime outcomes of a joint meeting led by Caretaker Sindh Chief Minister Justice (retd) Maqbool Baqar. The Chief Minister House, Sindh, disclosed that the meeting, held on a Wednesday, sought to address the critical educational conundrums concerning textbook availability and the assiduous monitoring of lecturers and teaching activities in colleges. Minister of Education Rana Hussain, Chief Secretary Dr Fakhre Alam, and several other key officers in education and finance departments also attended the session.
During the discourse, Secretary School Education Ms. Shireen Narejo elucidated that 80 percent of school students had received free textbooks, drawing notable concern from the Chief Minister regarding the remaining 20 percent without access to essential educational materials. Upon learning that a funding shortfall hindered textbook printing, Chief Minister Baqar directed Secretary Finance Kazim Jatoi to disburse Rs 1 billion to the School Education Department, aiming to expedite the printing process by clearing pending payments to vendors.
In the sphere of college education, Secretary Sadaf Anees shared insights into the development of a monitoring and inspection system across all colleges. The Chief Minister underscored a pervasive issue where numerous college teachers refrained from attending and conducting classes. Justice Baqar mandated the development of a digital monitoring system to steadfastly oversee teachers’ attendance, participation in college, and engagement in educational activities. An emphasized directive was also issued to ensure that teaching staff were rationalized across colleges, ensuring availability and equitable distribution of subject teachers, especially in science, math, and English.
Regarding chronic absenteeism among lecturers, the Chief Minister instructed the Secretary Education to amass data and forward it, through him, to the FIA, aiming to enforce employment terminations and reclaim salaries distributed during periods of absence.
A breakdown of the current state of college education was presented, revealing that of the 369 colleges under the department, various specialized in science, arts and commerce, IT, home economics, and physical studies. With a total enrollment of 588331 students, supported by 7111 teaching and 6640 non-teaching staff, the operation of 11 cadet colleges and five IBA Community Colleges was also disclosed.
Insights into the Sindh Educational Endowment Fund managed by the College Education Trust were also shared. The fund, providing scholarships to merit-based, deserving students enabling them to pursue higher education in IT, engineering, medicine, and business administration, currently held an investment of Rs6,811 million. With a profit of Rs918.126 million, expenditures of Rs839.676 million, and available profit of Rs78.45 million, it has benefited over 21,000 students from 2019-20 to 2023-24.
The meeting concluded with the Chief Minister enforcing an active inspection system within the College Education department, ensuring that Director General, Directors, and Deputy Directors conduct regular college inspections. Justice Baqar expressed his intention to personally visit colleges to inspect various facets of their operations, while the Minister of Education and Secretary of College Education assured need-based transfer, posting, and rationalization of staff, along with the commencement of online classes where necessary.