Children in KP exposed to threats

PESHAWAR: The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government is pressing the private schools to take security measures but hundreds of public sector schools in the province are without boundary walls that can cause a serious threat to thousands of kids.
The police in a number of districts have conveyed to the provincial government and the Education Department through official letters to construct boundary walls of educational institutions as kids are exposed to threats.
The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government ordered beefing up security in and around thousands of public and private sector schools following threats of attacks like that of the Army Public School and College on December 16 that killed 150 people, including 135 kids.
In one of the many letters, the district police officer (DPO) of Lakki Marwat has informed the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa secretary education that around 150 schools in his southern district are without boundary walls.
“There are around 150 schools without boundary walls where thousands of students are exposed to any untoward incident. The absence of boundary walls also diminishes the administration’s capacity to secure its premises during school timing and at night,” said the letter sent by Lakki Marwat DPO Mohammad Ismail Khaarak to the KP secretary education.
The official asked the Education Department authorities to immediately construct boundary walls of the schools to protect the kids from any attack.
Lakki Marwat is not the only district where thousands of children are studying in schools that don’t have boundary walls and rooms. There are several other districts where hundreds of schools are without boundary walls. The DPOs have conveyed to the officials concerned to construct boundary walls and other measures for security of these schools.
The police in several districts are visiting schools, colleges and universities to inspect the security arrangements made by respective managements. Many private sector educational institutions have been warned against inadequate security.
The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Police authorities during a campaign inspected 2153 schools and colleges over the weekend. The officials said institutions current financial year, but till December 31 it received only Rs3.500 billion in the head.
It showed a shortfall of the Rs2.500 billion over the last six months target, while the payment of the remaining Rs8.5 billion NHP over the next six month of the current fiscal still seems to be a remote possibility.
The provincial financial managers have also shown a “likely availability of Rs32.272 billion as NHP arrears during the fiscal and proposed a target of Rs16.136 billion for its first two quarters, but the province could not receive a penny of the amount.
The provincial kitty is expected to receive Rs27.290 billion as one percent subvention from the divisible pool for the war on terror during the current financial year. It has set the target of Rs13.645 billion for the first six months, but received Rs11.255 billion facing a shortfall of Rs2.930 billion.
However, the shortfall in the straight transfers of Rs29.264 billion remained negligible as the province was paid Rs13.999 billion of the amount, while it was expected to receive Rs14.632 billion showing a shortfall of just Rs0.633 billion over the last six months.
Though province’s shortfall in general capital receipts continued to be negligible at Rs0.02 billion, yet its major receipts haul in the development receipts in respect of Foreign Project Assistance (FPA) was still recorded at Rs12.16 billion.
The province estimated to receive Rs35.35 billion in FPA during the current financial year of which Rs17.68 billion was supposed to be transferred to it by the end of second quarter, but it got only Rs5.51 billion recording a shortfall of Rs12.16 billion.
Similarly, an amount of Rs6.00 billion in the name of operational shortfall in FPA remains a deficit in the budget which is not usually highlighted anywhere in the budget document.
The province estimated Rs12.00 billion as operational shortfall and was proposed to receive Rs6.00 billion during the last six months, but got nothing of it over the period that should also be projected as budget deficit.
The six-month shortfall in province’s own revenue receipts that include Rs12 billion of GST on services, Rs13.93 billion of Tax and Non-tax revenue and Rs2.85 billion of its own hydel power general proceeds, also remained to be contributing a factor to the budget deficit.
The province estimated its own revenue collection at Rs28.78 billion at the annual budget and set a target of Rs14.39 billion for six months, but at the end of December its revenue collection machinery contributed Rs11 billion showing a deficit of Rs6 billion.