SHC Orders To Increase Allocation For Repair, Maintenance Works Of Government Schools

HYDERABAD, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 6th Apr, 2020 ) :The Sindh High Court has ordered the provincial government to increase allocation for the repair and maintenance works of government schools in the province.

The SHC issued a detailed order here Monday in identical petitions filed by the residents of Badin and Matiari districts who had pleaded the court to order the government to carry out immediate rehab of dangerous schools buildings.

The last hearing of the case was held on December 10, 2019.

"(An allocation of) 25 percent each from District Development Fund, Bonus Production Fund and Social Welfare Fund in every district in the province shall be allocated and utilized � for repair and maintenance of the government school buildings," the order reads.

The court further ordered that the Sindh government and District Oversight Committees should ensure compliance of the order, "� only honest, reliable and competent officers, having such reputation and unblemished record are assigned the task to manage the funds and oversee and monitor the works," the order said.

The government has also been directed to conduct quarterly auditing of those funds and submit the audit report of every quarter within 15 days of the audit in SHC Karachi.

"The government shall also ensure that utilization and disbursement of funds must be absolutely free from whimsical or arbitrary exercise of political influence or personal projection," the order reads.

In the report submitted by Sindh Secretary School education and Literacy Department, the court was informed that some 7,956 school buildings in the province had been classified as dangerous while 527 of such buildings were in Badin and 150 in Matiari districts.

The secretary apprised the SHC that the provincial government had allocated Rs3 billion for the repair and maintenance works of the schools in the ongoing fiscal.

However, he added, 90 percent of that allocation was spent on the regular maintenance and repair while only 10 percent was utilized over the dangerous school buildings.

On the court's order, the secretary submitted proposals for addressing the issue.

He pointed out that the provincial government had released Rs20 billion under the head of District Development Budget.

But, around 80 percent to 85 percent of that budget was spent on the roads alone, he added.

"If a percentage of 25 percent is fixed for schools' maintenance and repair it will resolve this issued substantially," he said.

Likewise, he proposed that 25 percent funds collected from the oil and gas companies under Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) funds should also be allocated and utilized for the schools.

The SHC disposed off both the petitions with the directives of compliance for the provincial government.