University in District Korangi, campuses in West and Keamari districts announced in Sindh budget

For the fiscal year 2022-23, the Sindh government has allocated Rs326.86 billion for the education sector, which forms more than 25 per cent of the total outlay.

For the outgoing going fiscal year 2021-22, the provincial government had allocated Rs277.5 billion for education.

School education

During his budget speech in the Sindh Assembly on Tuesday, Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah announced that the education sector had been allocation a total of Rs326.86 billion. He added that the non-development budget for education had been enhanced from Rs268.41 billion in the last budget to Rs292.639 billion.

For the development budget of school education, the province has earmarked Rs34.22 billion.

A total of Rs3.814 billion has been allocated to start operations of non-formal education centres to reduce the number of out-of-school children in the province. For girls’ stipends, the government has allocated a total of Rs800 million.

Major development schemes in the school education sector that would be launched during the coming financial year as per the budget document include construction of 102 buildings for shelter-less primary schools, rehabilitation of 450 dangerous schools, upgrade of 200 primary schools to elementary schools, construction of 135 early childhood education centres, upgrade of 100 middle schools to high schools, upgrade of 39 high schools to higher secondary schools, provision of missing facilities at 550 primary schools and renovation 150 of existing high schools.

The Sindh government also plans to set up five science museums at the divisional level. Another key project in the school education sector is the School Education Scholarship Program that would be launched by the Sindh Education Foundation for meritorious students of public schools who would perform well in government-administered assessments.

Universities and boards

The non-development budget for the universities and boards department has increased from Rs13.314 billion to Rs18.704 billion. The grant for universities has been enhanced from Rs9.4 billion to Rs14.3 billion.

The CM also mentioned in the budget speech that the Sindh government had adopted a policy of either establishing a fully-fledged university or a campus of a recognised public university in at least seven districts including Karachi Korangi, Karachi West, Karachi Keamari, Karachi Malir, Tando Muhammad Khan, Tando Allahyar and Sujawal.

He said Korangi would have a university for technology, skills, and industrial development, while sub-campuses of that university would be established in District West and District Keamari of the city.

Also, a sub-campus of the NED University would be set up in Malir. Likewise, Tando Muhammad Khan and Tando Allahyar would be given a sub-campus of either the IBA Karachi or Sukkur IBA. Sujawal would have a sub-campus of the Mehran University.

Major projects that would be undertaken in the higher education sector during the next financial year are the establishment of the department of IT at the University of Sindh Dadu campus at an estimated cost of Rs90.412 million.

The boundary wall at the land allotted for the Government College University Hyderabad would be constructed at a cost of Rs201.455 million. An office for the Sindh Higher Education Commission in Karachi would be constructed for Rs424.776 million.

The universities and boards department would also set up the first fully integrated Science & Technology Park spread over 1.3 acres of land within the premises of the NED University of Science & Technology at a cost of Rs1 billion.

Other allocations

The allocation for college education has increased from Rs22.86 billion in the last budget to Rs26.768 billion.

To promote literary activities among the youth of Sindh and promote Sindhi language and Sindhi writers, Rs120 million has been allocated for the Sindhi Adabi Board, Jamshoro.