Nearly 300 regular employees and trainees left jobless
During his tour of Ghotki, Dr Naseem Ashraf, Head of the National Commission for Human Development (NCHD) was surprised to find out that his driver was a teacher. The NCHD seems to be one of the prime failures of the previous governments as it has not only failed to achieve it targets, it has also started winding up. The Commission has shut down its capacity programme, leaving nearly 300 regulars and trainees out of jobs in 104 districts of the country.
According to Ashraf’s District Project Officer, the driver-cum-teacher was actually serving the District Nazim, Sardar Ali Gohar Khan Mahar. After this revelation, Dr Ashraf was unable to learn more during that tour. It appears that the teachers still seem to be serving the feudal lords instead of the students and the community, as one official of the NCHD told The News, “the situation is the same even after five years,” he added.
The NCHD was established by President Pervez Musharraf in July 2001 as a federal statutory body. The goal of the Commission is to fill the implementation gaps and improve the public-sector delivery mechanisms to achieve the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) through universal primary education (UPE), adult literacy/gender empowerment programmes, reducing population growth rate, improving infant and maternal mortality and capacity building at the grass-root level.
The Commission started operation in 16 districts in 2003, four each from every province. In Sindh, it chose Ghotki, Badin, Naushero Feroze and Thatta in the first phase. It aimed to bring about 100 per cent enrolment in the primary education programme. This target was to be achieved in 2006, which needless to say remains unfulfilled to date.
The NCHD claims 98 per cent enrolment in Ghotki alone, which is unrealistic as most of the schools are closed in the district because of four tribal disputes: the Sundrani-Chachar dispute, Lund-Mahar, Pitafi-Laghari in Obauro and Lolai-Jagirani. The Pitafi-Laghari dispute alone has affected three talukas of Daharki, Mirpur Mathelo and Obauro.
One official said that changing the social behaviour has been one of the objectives of the Commission. However, the objective has not been well-received.
The data collected by the NCHD is also subject to controversy. In the three phases started by the Commission, the data was collected by three sources. In the first phase it was collected by social organisers through volunteers. However, the education and accuracy of the volunteer work remains questionable. In the second phase, the Community Social Mobilisers collected the data. However, since several of them were not locals of the area, issues of authenticity arose. In the third and the final phase, data was collected by teachers who were provided extra money for such purpose. Analysts are of the view that since some of the teachers were from the old system, they just exaggerated the data.
Enrolment increased in primary schools as the NCHD provided milk to the minors. Since milk is provided to all children who can walk, a majority of the children come to school just to collect milk in the morning after which they go back home. Though the enrolment increased a little, however, the quality of education fell and the schools that only had one or two teachers suffered the most. The job of a teacher also became difficult as they had to manage and keep track of the milk.
Besides, the NCHD has cut down the training period of newcomers from six months to three months. “Their contracts show a period of six months,” said one source, but they have been sent home. All other budgeted activities have also been closed.
One source in the Commission said that it has also closed down the health programme in Sindh as its provincial coordinator, Samina Altaf, has been transferred to Punjab. Thus, the provincial health programme is working without a coordinator. Besides, the number of the district general managers is also being cut down and one person with that salary is being deputed at one region, which includes five districts, added the source.
Source: The News
Date:4/16/2008
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