Rs 277.5bn earmarked for education sector proposed in Budget 2021-22

It will see an increase of 13.5% over allocation of current financial year

KARACHI (Dunya News) – Presenting budget 2021-22 on Tuesday, Chief Minister Sindh Murad Ali Shah said that for the next financial year we proposed to enhance the budget for education to Rs 277.5 billion from Rs 244.5 billion.

It will see an increase of 13.5% over allocation of current financial year, he added, claiming that thus the provincial government has allocated the highest percentage of resources towards education in the year 2021-22.

“The increase in allocation is because of the salary component, but here I will like to present that the increase in non-salary allocation of education sector is much higher and has been increasing over the years,” he clarified.

For the next financial year 2021-22, the budget of School Education & Literacy Department has been increased to Rs 222.102 billion, compared with Rs 197.368 billion for financial year 2020-21, the chief minister informed.

School Education & Literacy Department has been allocated Rs 14 billion for 117 ongoing schemes and 186 new schemes compared with Rs 13.15 billion for financial year 2020-21, Murad Ali Shah told, articulating that most of schemes are for Up-grading existing government schools from Primary to Secondary levels, Rehabilitating and Improving schools, Providing Furniture, Basic and Missing Facilities, Construction & Re-construction of existing dangerous school buildings.

For the next financial year 2021-22, the budget of College Education has been increased 11.8% to Rs.22.8 billion, compared with Rs.20.446 billion for financial year 2020-21.

For College Education Department, an allocation of Rs 4 billion has been proposed in ADP 2021-22 for 43 on-going and 64 new schemes, he further elaborated.

In order to implement the plans, the government has been providing monetary support to the Sindh Education Foundation. For next year we intend to provide the foundation Rs.10.75 billion, an increase of 13% over allocation of current financial year, Shah said.

In the Current Financial Year, the grant for public sector Universities was Rs 11.07 billion. For the next financial year, the volume of grant has been increased by 20% to Rs.13.314 billion, the chief minister maintained.

In FY 2020-21 the ADP allocation for Educator sector was Rs 21.1 billion. It comprised of school education, college education, universities, empowerment for persons with disabilities, and skill development. In FY 2021-22, the government had earmarked Rs 26 billion for the sector, he recounted.