| DEPARTMENT | PROJECT COST |
|---|---|
| Education & Litracy Department | PKR 8,021 Million |
106 schools are being re-constructed on better infrastructure standards by USAID funded Sindh Basic Education Program (SBEP). The management of all SBEP Construction schools and Grouped schools is being outsourced to credible educational expert organizations from private sector under public private partnership mode.
To date the operations and maintenance of 81 Sindh Basic Education Program (SBEP) Construction schools and 90 Grouped schools have been awarded to private partners through six procurement cycles.
5 construction schools along with 2 Grouped Schools are under the process of outsourcing under RFP# 7.
Introduction:
Introduction:
Education and Literacy Department (ELD), Government of Sindh (GoS), in a pioneering effort, has initiated the policy reform of Education Management Organizations (EMOs) through which management of selected public sector schools is being outsourced to reputable private sector organizations under Public Private Partnership (PPP) mode. This reform supports the Government's compliance with Article 25-A of the Constitution of Pakistan, and the 'Sindh Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act, 2013' passed by the Government of Sindh. This legislation is a fundamental right and constitutional obligation on the Government of Sindh and the ELD, GoS to provide improved delivery of services free of cost in education sector to all children aged 5-16 in the province of Sindh.
Situational Context
The key governance issues facing the education sector are manifold; among which some critical ones highlighted by the 'Framework for Economic Growth, 2011' prepared by the Planning Commission of Pakistan include:
a) An overly centralized education system where distant ministries and directorates determine syllabi, post and transfer teachers and manage budgets without results
b) No results-based systems
c) Weak or nonexistent accountability of teachers and educational administrators to parents and communities
d) A complex structure, where the provincial government has policymaking responsibility while the district governments are responsible for implementation
e) Limited capacity for planning and monitoring, especially at the district and lower levels of government
f) Poor management of available sector resources
g) No efforts to build the capacity of parent-teacher councils to contribute to school management.
The Sindh Education Sector Plan (SESP) 2014-18 states that 'despite the Government's concerted efforts to make education free and compulsory (with free textbooks, stipends and, in some cases, uniforms and food provisions), the education sector is still struggling to break free from crises of 'access' and 'poor quality education' in both public and private schools.
In a situation where mechanisms have weakened and there is a dearth of resources, forming partnerships between key stakeholders - including public-private partnerships - is a vital strategy to join forces and resources for improving the state of the education system.
Since the mid-1990s, public-private partnerships have become an important part of Pakistan's education policy discourse as the Government has encouraged the involvement of the private sector and civil society organizations (CSOs) in the financing, management and delivery of education services in Pakistan.
The National Education Policy (NEP) 2009 also strongly advocates engaging in public private partnerships as preferred arrangement for outcomes based approach to meeting the targets of access, quality and equity by sharing risks at lower costs and mobilization of expertise across public and private sectors.
Foundations for the Policy Reform of EMO's
Public Private Partnerships for education are emerging as an innovative mechanism for the public education sector to acquire services, expertise and resources of the private sector and mitigate gaps in education services delivery.
The civil society, corporate, for-profit and non-profit sector of Pakistan involved in education is also showing encouraging interest to partner with the Government for increasing access to, and quality of education for the masses.
Historically, the provision of education through public-private partnerships has also been supported by various education policies and plans, for example the Education Policy of 1998, ESR-Action Plan 2001-2005, MTDF (2005-2010) and the NEP 2009. The latter placed increased emphasis on public-private partnerships.
The SESP (2014-18) also presses on the need to broaden the scope of public-private partnership in every aspect of the education system, such as establishing schools in partnership with the private sector, capacity building of education managers and teachers, provision of services such as IT, and supervision of school systems. Such partnerships should be initiated with defined rules of engagement and operating procedures.
The policy reform of EMOs supports objectives set by SESP for Public-Private Partnerships in education sector over the next five years to map existing educational resources in the private sector; to develop broad based public-private partnership framework for education and to ensure the sustainability of existing successful public-private partnership initiatives.
In addition to the SESP-2014, and National Education Policy (NEP)-2009, the Pakistan Economic Survey 2013-14, and Accelerated EFA National Plan of Action 2013-16 have documented numerous challenges in efficiency and effectiveness of the public school system in Sindh. The ELD, championing a holistic reform program has articulated in Sindh Education Sector Plan 2014-18, utilization of private sector expertise for public education system through management contracts for provision of core and ancillary educational services under the PPP mode. The reform also mandates for an established PPP institution in the ELD to articulate new projects, develop relationships with donors, and all involved stakeholders, as well as, administer current and ongoing projects compliance requirements, outcomes-based monitoring and evaluation, management information systems, PR and communications, etc.
EXECUTION OF CONCESSION AGREEMENT
Execution of Concession Agreement incepted from 26-02-2016. So far, 6 procurement cycles have been completed and 7th procurement cycle is under processes.
Execution of Concession Agreement incepted from 26-02-2016. So far, 6 procurement cycles have been completed and 7th procurement cycle is under processes.
1. Projects aims to improve standard of education within Sindh Province.
2. This project will help build capacity of Government Employees working at public schools, provide training opportunities to teachers, improve student learning and performance, improve engagement with parents, community and other stakeholders and shall serve as a model that can improve other educational institutes.
Haidermotabnr & Co.
25-Mar-2022
