Thousands of girl students in Punjab would have to wait for an indefinite period for the provision of missing facilities in their institutions as the provincial government has withdrawn Rs720 million allocated for the purpose.
The special budget was earmarked in 2013 to provide missing facilities in government schools across the province.
Dr Masoom Yasinzai, the rector of the International Islamic University Islamabad (IIUI), said without ensuring basic facilities the drop-out rate cannot be overcome.
“On the one hand, we are talking about an education emergency and on the other hundreds of schools are facing shortage of furniture and washrooms. The government should release funds for the provision of missing facilities in all schools,” he said.
A source in the education department Rawalpindi said the Punjab government had withdrawn the special allocated funds of Rs720 million from all the districts. The amount had been released in four instalments last year with the last one approved in December 2013.
The special budget was supposed to be spent on the provision of clean drinking water, construction of toilets, boundary walls and purchase of furniture.
The district of Rawalpindi had been allocated Rs152.35 million in the special budget.
However, on Monday the education department was informed by the finance ministry that the government had decided to withdraw the Rs38 million given to the district in the fourth instalment of the special budget. No reason was given behind the withdrawal.
