KPK couldn’t use 47% budget, Punjab 33% budget

Tayyeb Ramazan

LAHORE: Despite pro education claims and sloganeering, the provincial governments of Pakistan remained unable to utilize a major part of their education budget for development causing a lapse of Rs 51.42 billion, reveals The Educationist reports.

The Khyber Pakhtoon Khawa (KPK) government remained most inactive among all four provinces for not utilizing its education budget for development at 47 per cent, while Punjab used 73.42 per cent, Sindh 89 per cent and Balochistan 100 per cent.

KPK had allocated Rs 28.55 billion development budget for education but it could spend only Rs 15.17 billion (53% of total budget) showing a lapse of Rs 13.40 billion budget (47% of total development budget). This is the highest lapsed amount as compared to all other provinces’ education development budget spending during the year 2015-16.

Punjab education budget for development worth Rs 36.56 billion which was 33% of total education budget, was lapsed. Punjab government spent only Rs 73.42 billion out of Rs 110 billion. Whereas the Sindh government’s Rs 1.46 billion (11%) were lapsed out of total Rs 12.84 billion education budget.

On the other hand Balochistan government utilized 7% more than allocated budget for education during year 2015-16. The budget estimates for education development were Rs 10 billion while the actual amount utilized was Rs 10.70 billion, according the budget book.

Meanwhile, Finance Minister Senator Ishaq Dar unveiled PML-N government’s fourth Rs. 4,894.9 billion federal budget, out of which Rs. 84.195 billion have been allocated for education affairs and services, a mere 1.72% of the total budget allocation, showing an increased of 0.02% as compared to the previous financial year.  

However, when compared budget to budget 11.70% has been increased from last year education budget although the current fiscal year budget is 10% higher than the previous year budget of 2015-16 and moreover inflation rate has been assumed 6%.

Rs. 84,195 million  have been allocated for Education Affairs and Services have been provided with in the budget estimates 2016-17 as compared with Rs. 75,580 million in budget estimates 2015-16.

The KPK and Balochistan go vernments cut-down their education development budget from Rs. 28.55 billion in 2015-16 to Rs. 19.52 billion in current budget while Balochistan slashed education estimated form Rs. 10 billion to Rs. 6.65 billion. On the other side the Sind government increased its budget from Rs. 12.84 billion to Rs. 17.87 billion and the Punjab government also increased its education budget by 23%.

KPK captured the top positions amongst percentage increase in the education budget as compared to the total allocated budget among all other provinces. It had increased 3.48 % of total budget but the increase in the educated budget was 11.98 percent as compared to the last year. On the other hand all the other provinces have decreased their education budget as compare to percentage increase in budget. The difference of percentage increase in total budget and percentage increase in education budget was higher among Punjab and Balochistan respectively 15.34% and 15.32% while Sindh had 5.61%.

In higher education sector out of Rs 14.71 billion, the Punjab government could utilize only 8.68 billion causing a lapse of Rs 6.5 billion. In school education sector the Punjab government utilized only Rs 14.06 billion out of Rs 33.16 billion revenue and capital budget showing a lapse of Rs 19.1 billion.

For special education sector development the government could use only Rs 174 million out of Rs 780 million showing a lapse of Rs 616 million.