SHC seeks details of budget and expenditure in education sector

The Sindh High Court on Friday directed the provincial law officers to submit details of budget allocation on education and expenditure for the last five years as well as the government efforts for provision of free and compulsory education to children from five to16 years.

The direction came on a petition filed by Alamgir Khan and others seeking direction to the Sindh government for betterment of the education sector and details regarding allocation of funds in the sector and their spending.

The petitioners maintained that Article 25-A of the country’s constitution ensures the right to free and compulsory education of all children from five years of age to 16 years but a unanimous syllabus was not being followed in public and private schools of the province.

They submitted that there were not enough middle and high schools in Sindh to meet the challenge of providing necessary education to all children. Citing a survey report, the petitioners added that around 6,000 government schools were dysfunctional, whereas the number of ghost teaching and non-teaching staff in the province is over 40,000.

They maintained that the Sindh government instead of reopening 6,000 closed schools had planned to establish new schools with the help of non-government organisations by granting them Rs40 billion in the name of non-formal education and alternative learning policy, 2016, and a proposal to this effect had been sent to the provincial assembly for approval.

They added that the Sindh government claims to be making efforts to promote education in the province under what it has termed as the ‘education emergency’ policy. But the claims are complete eyewash as the education sector’s condition has only gotten worse, they maintained.

The court was requested to pass appropriate orders for the betterment of the education sector in Sindh and ensure provision of the constitutional right to education to every child for a better society to develop in future.

The court directed the provincial law officer to file comments with regard to details of budget allocation on education and expenditure for the last five years as well as the government efforts for free and compulsory education to children from five to16 years.

May 12 carnage

An anti-terrorism court (ATC-II) on Saturday had to adjourn the hearing of the four

cases against Mayor Waseem Akhtar in the May 12, 2007 carnage because of the

non-appearance of the relevant investigation officers (IOs).

Setting the next hearing for January 17, the court issued orders to the IOs to appear then and assist the court in the cases against Akhtar and others.

Akhtar has already been granted exemption from court appearances because of his engagements as the city’s mayor.

Meanwhile, the ATC-III also heard three similar cases regarding the May 12 violence against Akhtar and others and fixed February 3 as the next date of hearing.

It also issued non-bailable arrest warrants against 15 absconding accused individuals in these cases and directed the IOs concerned to ensure the accused are present at the next hearing.

Some 48 Karachi residents were killed on May 12, 2007 when violence broke out between activists of pro-government and pro-judiciary rival political parties when the recently-suspended then Chief Justice of Pakistan Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry arrived at Karachi airport intending to address a rally but was restrained from doing so.