ISLAMABAD: Poverty Alleviation and Social Safety Division (PASSD) as well Ministry of Federal Education and Professional Training (MOFEPT) came together on Monday to "tap additional human resources" for the rollout of Ehsaas Education Stipends initiative.
In this context, PASSD and MOFEPT signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to rollout Ehsaas Education Stipends initiative nationwide. The MoU will allow MOFEPT to collaborate with PASSD to bring back out-of-school children to schools and reduce the dropouts.
Under this initiative, eligible children will benefit from Ehsaas stipends to continue their studies till higher secondary education, the federal government claims.
According to federal government, there are 18.7 million out-of-school children in the country. Ehsaas Education Stipends Programme has been designed in coordination with provinces and MOFEPT to reduce disparities in primary to higher secondary education opportunities by raising attendance, school enrolment and the school progression among out-of-school children, particularly girls.
The government's claims regarding Ehsaas Education Stipends venture aside, MOFEPT is joining hands with PASSD at a time when serious questions have been raised regarding transparency in the financial practices of MOFEPT.
A recent audit report by Auditor General of Pakistan (AGP) into the funds of MOFEPT and its attached departments unearthed massive irregularities - including serious cases of fraud, embezzlement and misappropriation of funds - amounting to billions of rupees.
In its recently released annual report for the audit year 2020-21, covering financial year 2019-20, the AGP raised audit observations amounting to 8.6 billion rupees related to MOFEPT.
These include Rs 5.57 billion employees related irregularities, Rs 1.75 billion under the head of "others," almost Rs 650 million related to non-production of record, Rs 493 million related to internal controls, Rs 83.43 million involving reported cases of fraud, embezzlement and misappropriation, Rs 32.69 million involving accounts management with commercial banks and almost Rs 20 million under the head of value for money and service delivery.
The report unearthed that 27 audit paras were raised in financial year 2018-19, out of which there were 16 actionable paras. However, MOFEPT showed compliance with only two paras and remaining 14 audit paras had none or partial compliance while the total compliance was recorded at only 13 percent.
The report stated that Federal Directorate of Education (FDE) maintained an unauthorised bank account of Rs 23.69 million. The audit observed that the bank account titled "Examination Fund Account" was opened without approval of Finance Division and it was thus unauthorised. The audit recommended that the matter be inquired and responsibility be fixed for irregularity.
The audit detected serious irregularities in the funds of PEIRA (Private Educational Institutions Regulatory Authority). The AGP observed that no fixation of grade-wise rate of admission fee, security fee, monthly tuition fee and other fees being charged by private educational institutions was ensured by PEIRA. There was no mechanism on part of PEIRA for checking qualification and terms and conditions of teaching staff employed by private educational institutions, AGP report stated.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2021