ISLAMABAD – In order to strengthen the basic education in Pakistan, the Pakistan Coalition for Education (PCE) has engaged civil society in identifying and bridging the gaps in budget making and utilization process through civil society engagement from grass root to national level.
A three-day workshop on Education Budget Tracking, organized by the PCE in collaboration with the Institute of Social and Policy Science I-SAPs, concluded here on Saturday. Participants across the country participated with an enthusiasm to bring change as an outcome of this workshop within the due process of allocation to spending of public money as a budget.
During the workshop, Dr. Salman Humanyun deliberated on issues in the policy and budget making process thereby created a nexus between education data, policy and Budget. Siqqidue Tareen, a renowned trainer, explored (unfolded) multiple aspects of budget concentrating more on education budget by addressing all tiers and terminologies for its basic understanding.
The participants were made aware of the inefficiencies and inappropriateness in allocating the budget.
To ensure its optimum usage, gaps were identified to mitigate the challenges and to create a surge.
The participants identified the indicators resulting in low turnout in public schools and proposed alternatives for the utilization of allocated budget.
It would help empower citizens as a watch group to hold officials and policy-makers accountable for proper budgetary allocations.
PCE is tracking budget through Budget Watch Group across Pakistan as a regular feature during the next couple of years that will enable to have an evidence based data allocation and utilization of public education budget in Pakistan.  The workshop would help in formulating a Budget Watch Group containing budgetary information, education statistics, information about quarterly releases and analysis on the basis of prior information, which resultantly would highlight issues for efficient resource allocation to bring positive change on sustainable basis.
National coordinator PCE Zehra Arshad thanked the participants.