ISLAMABAD - A National Assembly Standing Committee has expressed serious reservations over the nonpayment of salary to the teachers of Basic Education Community Schools (BECS) for the past nine months. The National Assembly Standing Committee on Education, Trainings and Standards in Higher Education met Monday to discuss the Public Sector Development Programme (PSDP) projects and its progress report for the current financial year 2013-2014. The committee also showed serious concerns over the curtailing of salary of the teachers of BECS from 8000 to 5000 salary per month, saying, "how one can expect quality of education if teachers are not being paid handsome salaries."
The Committee Chairman, Gulzar Khan, took a serious notice of non-payment of salary to the teachers from the last 8 months and decided that the matter would be raised at the floor of the House in the coming session. He also directed the ministry to strengthen the monitoring and evaluation system and motivate the community to get admitted their children in the BECS schools. The Committee also highlighted the advantages of the informal school system and expressed that through this way Pakistan can enhance the literacy rate.
Secretary Education, Trainings and Standards in Higher Education Mohammad Ahsan Raja briefed the Committee on PSDP projects progress report for the financial year 2013-2014.
He further briefed the committee that the total cost was Rs 11286.8 million against ten PSDP projects and total allocation was Rs 4629.0 million and fund released Rs 342.3 million out of which were utilized Rs.308.63 million.
Dr. Mukhtar Ahmed, Chairman HEC, also gave a briefing on the PSDP project for current and for next financial year. He requested the committee to make recommendation for the increase of development budget of HEC for the next financial year upto Rs 22.00 billion, which was endorsed by the committee.
The HEC chairman also informed the committee that that on the directions of President a committee had been constituted to probe the irregularities in Federal Urdu University.
The committee also summoned the vice chancellors of Islamia University Bahawalpur, University of Sargodha and Gujrat on reports of establishing sub-campuses of the said universities on public private partnerships.