ISLAMABAD: Federal Minister for Education Shafqat Mehmood informed the Senate Functional Committee on Problems of Less Developed Areas that non-formal education would also be handed over to the provinces from June 2021.

A meeting of the Senate Functional committee on Less Developed Areas presided over by Senator Usman Kakar reviewed issues related to salary, promotion as service structure of the teachers of National Commission for Human Development (NCHD) and Basic Education Community Schools (BECS).

The minister stated that the issue of the NCHD had been going on for quite some time although the education had been devolved to the provinces.

He said that non-formal education, however, was with the federal government and this matter was taken up in the Council of Common Interests (CCI) meeting.

He said that non formal education would also be devolved to the provinces to June 21 in consultation with the provinces, and needed planning and modalities were expected to be finalized in this regard in next two to three months.

Provinces have assured to increase in salary of these NCHD and BECS employees after these would be handed over to them, he added.

The chairman of the committee stated the development and prosperity of any country was linked with the education as those countries with higher literacy rate had greater chances of development.

He regretted that employees of these institutions neither had any service structure nor incentives.

They are getting far less salary, he added.

Kakar said the services provided by non formal teachers in less developed areas must be valued as teachers of public sector’s schools cannot be rendered such services.

The meeting was informed that the NCHD was established in 2002 with the objective to promote non formal education, provide services in health sector and also to help reduce poverty.

There are total 5,715 schools of the NCHD, wherein, over 306,509 children between five to nine years age were registered.

There are 6,461 teachers in non formal schools, the meeting was further informed.

The meeting was also informed that in 1995, Executive Committee of National Economic Council (ECNEC) gave approval for establishment of 10,000 non formal schools.

The meeting was also informed that there are 11,767 basic education community schools where 463,000 children are getting education.

The meeting decided to invite education ministers of the provinces, secretary education as well as chief secretaries to review the planning for making future of the teachers.

The committee recommended that in these employees were transferred to the provinces; the provinces should not only regularise them but also increase their salary and prepare rules for promotion and service structure.

Committee chairman said that an employee of the NCHD belonging from district Mardan were regularised in 2012 and later on he was transferred to Baluchistan in 2014.

The meeting was informed that arrear of the employees of these institution from 2013 to 2018 has accumulated to Rs1.5 billion on account of change in service structure.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2020