Students at Peshawar govt school forced to study on the roof

[Jinn Baba]

This thread should be renamed to 'PTI failures and lies in KPK'

 

[Champion_Usmani]

PTI to back PPP candidate for Senate deputy chairman slot
Another U-turn

https://nation.com.pk/11-Mar-2018/pti-to-back-ppp-candidate-for-senate-deputy-chairman-slot

 

[Champion_Usmani]

 

[Champion_Usmani]

Design changes to delay Peshawar BRT project

PESHAWAR:

With the provincial government hoping that the BRT does for them what the Metro Bus project in Punjab did for the PML-N in the last general elections, a senior engineer working on the project in Peshawar has warned against constant tinkering in the design of the project to make sure it is completed on time.


When work on it first started in October last year, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) Chief Minister Pervez Khattak had promised that the project would be completed within six months. But as that deadline nears, the project looks far from being complete.

The Project Management and Construction Supervision Consultant (PMCSC) for the Peshawar Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) project have written a letter to the director general of the Peshawar Development Authority (PDA) stating that the contractor working on building the project must be given a clear sense of direction to complete his work.

Lack of coordination: Too many departments spoil the project

“The continuous amendments to the design of various aspects of the Peshawar BRT project is seriously jeopardising the completion of the Peshawar Sustainable BRT Project within the specified time limits,” the letter warns, adding that not only are the extensive design changes causing setbacks, the time it takes the government machinery to approve these changes was even more agonising — as it alluded to the lack of any decision-making power of the chief engineer.

Khattak has been pushing the private contractor and other government bodies working on the BRT to complete the Rs49.3 billion project by April 20 so that he can inaugurate it before the end of his tenure. But constant changes have made the task of achieving that target impossible.

The letter, written by an engineer of the private consultancy firm contracted for the project adds, “Neither timely approvals are forthcoming from the approving agencies nor are the conceptual designs, being provided by others for major design amendments, are — in nearly all instances — workable for one reason or another, and require reworking according to site conditions before being buildable.”

The firm has asked the government to intervene and put a halt to any further design amendments so that the contractor and the government can concentrate on completing the project without any unnecessary distraction.

In just the six months since the government started work on the project, the project design has been changed at 11 different points.

As a result, work on several sections of the project has yet to get underway such as work on the Gulbahar flyover.

The government had initially decided to build a BRT corridor here at ground level. However, the designers later realised that this would rob Gulbahar and Sikandpur residents of key U-turns while the existing Arbab Sikandar Khan Khalil flyover would lose its utility. The design was hence altered.

Green Line BRTS faces delay due to design change

Similarly, work on the Level-II Pir Zakori Bridge has yet to start. Construction of the elevated corridor in Tehkal was decided months after the civil work on the project kicked-off.

Later, with work on an underpass at Aman Chowk almost complete, it had to be dismantled and rebuilt owing to design flaws. Moreover, the government has now decided to make a station at Karkhano Market.

Officials working on the project say that the constant changes in the design are not only delaying the project but are also adding to its cost.

“At the moment, the cost is still Rs49.3 billion, but it will certainly increase by about a billion or more because of the additional elevated portions which were added later,” the official said, adding that even with everyone working on the project being pushed to their limit, the April 20 deadline seems almost impossible to meet.

“Officials have started to squabble in meetings as the deadline looms,” said a senior government official dealing the matter. He pointed to a brawl between the PDA director general and DIG traffic during a recent meeting on devising a traffic management plan.

The official divulged that an irate DIG Traffic had turned around to lambast PDA chief of focusing on BRT project and completing it as soon as possible.

“People have started to realise that the deadline is not going to be met, thus they have started skipping meetings,” said the official.

PDA admits delays

Meanwhile, PDA Director General Israrul Haq has admitted that the project is facing delays and that people should not expect it before May 20, a month over its prescribed deadline.

“Our deadline for the contractor is April 20, and we are pushing [hard] to achieve it. If it gets late it will not be more than a month,” Haq said as he insisted that they were doing all they can to meet the deadline.

Referring to the changes, Haq termed them as ‘minor’.

“You make changes even while building a small bathroom in your home, this, though, is a mega project and it will certainly undergo structural changes,” he stated matter-of-factly.

The PDA chief added that work on the Pir Zakori Bridge is expected to start in a day or two and the project will be completed within three months. However, he was quick to clarify that the bridge is not a part of BRT, thus it will not affect that project’s overall completion deadline.

He also admitted that the cost of the BRT project will rise due to the design changes, but he tried to downplay them by terming them ‘nominal escalation which promises more benefits’.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 14th, 2018.

https://tribune.com.pk/story/1659178/1-many-cooks-design-changes-delay-project/

 

[ejaz007]

corruption and sub standard material . KPK corruption is beyond imagination . Can't blame PTI. Govt provide opportunity , its people who abused.

So in Punjab we can't blame PML (N) but the people who abuse. Right

 

[HAIDER]

So in Punjab we can't blame PML (N) but the people who abuse. Right

In Punjab , PMLn ruling for the last 35 years, they know in and out and control points compare to KPK , PTI 4 year old govt.

 

[ejaz007]

In Punjab , PMLn ruling for the last 35 years, they know in and out and control points compare to KPK , PTI 4 year old govt.

The governning pricipal should be the same. Time limit has nothing to do with performance.

If they can't initiate the change process in 4 years then this shows their intentions and they won't do it in 35 years.

 

[Champion_Usmani]

The governning pricipal should be the same. Time limit has nothing to do with performance.

If they can't initiate the change process in 4 years then this shows their intentions and they won't do it in 35 years.

Exactly bro, and i say don't compare 35 years performance of PMLN with PTI's almost 5 years in KPK, just compare performance of both parties from 2013, simple... but with neutral mindset...

 

[ejaz007]

Quote of the day:

 

[Yaseen1]

i think after pti failure only option left for Pakistan is non political martial law

 

[HAIDER]

The governning pricipal should be the same. Time limit has nothing to do with performance.

If they can't initiate the change process in 4 years then this shows their intentions and they won't do it in 35 years.

It takes time to bring changes in bureaucracy. Too many red tapes to fire govt employees. But, it is negligence from Imran too, who has pour all his energy in Punjab. But, CM of Punjab using bureaucracy as front man ...From Ahad Cheema

 

[Champion_Usmani]

School management officers protest outside K-P assembly

PESHAWAR: Government school managers in the province on Monday staged a sit-in outside the provincial legislature, warning of widespread protests unless their demands of upgradation were not met.

Around 600 officers from the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) school management cadre, including female officers, gathered outside the K-P Assembly building holding aloft banners and placards.

They shouted slogans against the K-P Finance Department, demanding that the department approve their upgradation summary which has already received the green light from Chief Minister Pervez Khattak.

Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) provincial chief Senator Mushtaq Ahmad Khan visited the protesting officers and ensured them that they will tackle their issue with the provincial government.

K-P Minister for Zakat and Ushr Habibur Rehman, School Management Cadre Association Chairman Muhammad Saleem, Director Education Farid Khattak and other officials addressed the protesters. They asked that if the chief minister has approved the upgradation , why is the finance department delaying the matter.

The protesters demanded the immediate approval of the upgrades, warning that failure to do so would see their protest spread across the province.

The JI Ameer ensured them that JI three ministers would join them Tuesday (today) and they would also raise this issue in the upcoming cabinet meeting with the chief minister.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 20th, 2018.

https://tribune.com.pk/story/166436...gement-officers-protest-outside-k-p-assembly/

 

[SecularNationalist]

first china cutting now american and russia cutting.Whats the difference between china and russian cutting?

 

[Champion_Usmani]

Over 50% Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa girls still out of school: Alif Ailaan

KARACHI: Public education in Pakistan has consistently failed to equip children with the skills needed to succeed individually and as responsible members of communities, according to public policy experts.

The situation in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) has been particularly pressing on this account. With Pakistan in the throes of a protracted struggle against terrorism, public education in the province continues to be encumbered by the twin forces of Afghan refugees and internally displaced people.

Recent gains in the fight against militants have contributed to some semblance of peace and a political leadership that had pledged to impose an education emergency if elected has held office for a near full term.

Alif Ailaan, the education campaigners, recently released a report analysing the progress and pace of education reforms in the province since the former provincial government launched the Education Sector Plan (ESP) in 2010.

Children of Balochistan remain ‘the most abandoned’ of all Pakistani children, reveals Alif Ailaan report

While recognising the formidable challenges K-P continues to grapple with, the report has termed the plan “more ambitious and less practical”. However, the ESP launched in 2016 has been praised for bringing about “radical improvements” across province-wide public schools.

According to Alif Ailaan, government efforts to transition from exclusive focus on input delivery methods to ensuring institutional reform was “very visible in how the document reads and the objectives and priorities it identifies”. But with 51% of girls still not enrolled, the report qualified the successes registered.

Breaking down the performance of the government in the sector, Alif Ailaan relied on four development indicators to measure the ‘education emergency’. These included improvement in government schools, education quality, financial reform and the provision of data for public use.

Improving government schools

According to National Education Management System estimates, almost 80 per cent of all the schools in K-P are public schools. Over 70% students enrolled across the primary to higher secondary levels frequent government schools.

In the report, Alif Ailaan noted there had been a “substantial improvement” in the provision of physical facilities in schools over five years. The province registered a remarkable increase of over 25% in the District Education Ranking score from 2013 to 2016 and topped the primary school infrastructure index nationwide. The education campaigners said the government had provided 83,000 missing facilities across nearly 24,000 schools, spending about Rs29.11 billion on the project.

Over 5,000 schools had been provided with sports kits to encourage “healthier and active lifestyles” and nearly 1,170 information technology labs have been established across high and higher secondary schools. Citing Pakistan Education Statistics 2015-2016, the report observed there were still 2.5 million out-of-school children across the province. The challenge of enrolling them remained “largely unresolved”, the report added.

Alif Ailaan commends Sindh education reforms, laments ‘speed with which they take effect’

In a revealing observation, the report noted girls were at a “greater disadvantage” with over half (51%) not attending school. The government has taken steps to address the problem, the report added. These include the provision of stipends to girls registering regular attendance and the establishment of exclusive community schools. Also, recent data indicated that primary schools outnumbered cumulative middle and high schools by 4:1, the report highlighted, terming it the root cause of a “crisis of student retention”.

Quality standards

The province was facing a learning crisis, according to Alif Ailaan. This was epitomised by 2016 National Achievement Test scores with K-P children lagging behind the national mean.

Improvements were forthcoming with exemplary teacher recruitment ensuring “rationalised” deployment. The report said 40,000 educators had been recruited through the NTS since 2013. Another 17,000 are being hired.



The government has also revamped recruitment criteria, radically raising competition against vacancies. Over 65,000 teachers have been trained since 2013 with Rs800 million being allocated for greater student learning.

Financial reforms

Alif Ailaan has called on the provincial government to “spend more, more effectively” noting that “budget increases which do not translate into improved utilisation are practically ineffexctive”. Commending K-P for being the the only province in Pakistan that had consistently allocated budgets higher than the UN recommended 20% baseline, statistics quoted by Alif Ailaan revealed that the education budget increased from Rs84.629 billion in 2013 to Rs168.085 billion to date. This represented an increase of about 61% over the 2013 education budget – with 17% coming in the current fiscal year over the previous one.

School-based budgeting had also enabled middle and primary schools to prepare budgets and track expenditure, according to the education campaigners. However, while increased budget allocations had led to incremental improvements in physical infrastructure, teacher pay and student enrolment, outlays were “still insufficient” to fully address problems confronting the sector, the report stated. The document also questioned how “funds are allocated and used”.

The government was also criticised for seizing textbook board assets worth Rs6 billion. The reallocation, according to the report, could delay the printing and distribution of books among students at government schools.

Revamping data provision and management

Accurate and timely data not only facilitates evidence-based policy interventions but also informs policy research that can steer policy making apparatuses in the right direction, the document stated. In this regard, the government had established an Independent Monitoring Unit collecting school data. The Unit tracks teacher and student attendance, and availability of facilities. Because of the increase in accountability, absenteeism decreased by nearly 15% and student attendance rose by 24%.

Policy blind spots

While Alif Ailaan hailed the Free and Compulsory Primary and Secondary Education Act and the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Private Schools Regulatory Authority Act 2017, it also identified policy blind spots and presented recommendations to remedy them.

Mixed review: Punjab praised for ‘tremendous strides’ in education service delivery

The report advised the government focus on all means to dramatically raise middle and high school enrolment. The document said great attention should be devoted to schools and conveyance among other measures to improve girls’ access to post-primary education.

According to Alif Ailaan, K-P needed to devote attention to learning outcomes in maths and science. Events should be regularly organised, indigenous content formulated and delivery mechanisms developed to stimulate student interest, read one recommendation.



An out-of-school census conducted by the government should be made public, the report recommended. This should be coupled with a commitment on periodic regularisation, the education campaigners added. The document also called for the inclusion of the differently abled into regular schools and curriculum revisions to reflect that.

‘Gains made since 2013 are not permanent. Without sustained efforts, a sharper focus and an even stronger political will, these may suffer being erased,” Alif Ailaan warned in conclusion.

https://tribune.com.pk/story/1664667/1-50-girls-khyber-pakhtunkhwa-still-school-alif-ailaan/

 

[HAIDER]

Over 50% Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa girls still out of school: Alif Ailaan

View attachment 460918
KARACHI: Public education in Pakistan has consistently failed to equip children with the skills needed to succeed individually and as responsible members of communities, according to public policy experts.

The situation in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) has been particularly pressing on this account. With Pakistan in the throes of a protracted struggle against terrorism, public education in the province continues to be encumbered by the twin forces of Afghan refugees and internally displaced people.

Recent gains in the fight against militants have contributed to some semblance of peace and a political leadership that had pledged to impose an education emergency if elected has held office for a near full term.

Alif Ailaan, the education campaigners, recently released a report analysing the progress and pace of education reforms in the province since the former provincial government launched the Education Sector Plan (ESP) in 2010.

Children of Balochistan remain ‘the most abandoned’ of all Pakistani children, reveals Alif Ailaan report

While recognising the formidable challenges K-P continues to grapple with, the report has termed the plan “more ambitious and less practical”. However, the ESP launched in 2016 has been praised for bringing about “radical improvements” across province-wide public schools.

According to Alif Ailaan, government efforts to transition from exclusive focus on input delivery methods to ensuring institutional reform was “very visible in how the document reads and the objectives and priorities it identifies”. But with 51% of girls still not enrolled, the report qualified the successes registered.

Breaking down the performance of the government in the sector, Alif Ailaan relied on four development indicators to measure the ‘education emergency’. These included improvement in government schools, education quality, financial reform and the provision of data for public use.

Improving government schools

According to National Education Management System estimates, almost 80 per cent of all the schools in K-P are public schools. Over 70% students enrolled across the primary to higher secondary levels frequent government schools.

In the report, Alif Ailaan noted there had been a “substantial improvement” in the provision of physical facilities in schools over five years. The province registered a remarkable increase of over 25% in the District Education Ranking score from 2013 to 2016 and topped the primary school infrastructure index nationwide. The education campaigners said the government had provided 83,000 missing facilities across nearly 24,000 schools, spending about Rs29.11 billion on the project.

Over 5,000 schools had been provided with sports kits to encourage “healthier and active lifestyles” and nearly 1,170 information technology labs have been established across high and higher secondary schools. Citing Pakistan Education Statistics 2015-2016, the report observed there were still 2.5 million out-of-school children across the province. The challenge of enrolling them remained “largely unresolved”, the report added.

Alif Ailaan commends Sindh education reforms, laments ‘speed with which they take effect’

In a revealing observation, the report noted girls were at a “greater disadvantage” with over half (51%) not attending school. The government has taken steps to address the problem, the report added. These include the provision of stipends to girls registering regular attendance and the establishment of exclusive community schools. Also, recent data indicated that primary schools outnumbered cumulative middle and high schools by 4:1, the report highlighted, terming it the root cause of a “crisis of student retention”.

Quality standards

The province was facing a learning crisis, according to Alif Ailaan. This was epitomised by 2016 National Achievement Test scores with K-P children lagging behind the national mean.

Improvements were forthcoming with exemplary teacher recruitment ensuring “rationalised” deployment. The report said 40,000 educators had been recruited through the NTS since 2013. Another 17,000 are being hired.



The government has also revamped recruitment criteria, radically raising competition against vacancies. Over 65,000 teachers have been trained since 2013 with Rs800 million being allocated for greater student learning.

Financial reforms

Alif Ailaan has called on the provincial government to “spend more, more effectively” noting that “budget increases which do not translate into improved utilisation are practically ineffexctive”. Commending K-P for being the the only province in Pakistan that had consistently allocated budgets higher than the UN recommended 20% baseline, statistics quoted by Alif Ailaan revealed that the education budget increased from Rs84.629 billion in 2013 to Rs168.085 billion to date. This represented an increase of about 61% over the 2013 education budget – with 17% coming in the current fiscal year over the previous one.

School-based budgeting had also enabled middle and primary schools to prepare budgets and track expenditure, according to the education campaigners. However, while increased budget allocations had led to incremental improvements in physical infrastructure, teacher pay and student enrolment, outlays were “still insufficient” to fully address problems confronting the sector, the report stated. The document also questioned how “funds are allocated and used”.

The government was also criticised for seizing textbook board assets worth Rs6 billion. The reallocation, according to the report, could delay the printing and distribution of books among students at government schools.

Revamping data provision and management

Accurate and timely data not only facilitates evidence-based policy interventions but also informs policy research that can steer policy making apparatuses in the right direction, the document stated. In this regard, the government had established an Independent Monitoring Unit collecting school data. The Unit tracks teacher and student attendance, and availability of facilities. Because of the increase in accountability, absenteeism decreased by nearly 15% and student attendance rose by 24%.

Policy blind spots

While Alif Ailaan hailed the Free and Compulsory Primary and Secondary Education Act and the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Private Schools Regulatory Authority Act 2017, it also identified policy blind spots and presented recommendations to remedy them.

Mixed review: Punjab praised for ‘tremendous strides’ in education service delivery

The report advised the government focus on all means to dramatically raise middle and high school enrolment. The document said great attention should be devoted to schools and conveyance among other measures to improve girls’ access to post-primary education.

According to Alif Ailaan, K-P needed to devote attention to learning outcomes in maths and science. Events should be regularly organised, indigenous content formulated and delivery mechanisms developed to stimulate student interest, read one recommendation.



An out-of-school census conducted by the government should be made public, the report recommended. This should be coupled with a commitment on periodic regularisation, the education campaigners added. The document also called for the inclusion of the differently abled into regular schools and curriculum revisions to reflect that.

‘Gains made since 2013 are not permanent. Without sustained efforts, a sharper focus and an even stronger political will, these may suffer being erased,” Alif Ailaan warned in conclusion.

https://tribune.com.pk/story/1664667/1-50-girls-khyber-pakhtunkhwa-still-school-alif-ailaan/

People criticize KPK, but need to realize that province was hard hit and still suffering due to terrorism. TTP blown away hundreds of schools. Still lot of no go zones. People easily criticize but give a solution and help these children through private agencies. If no trust on govt.