Launch of ‘Promoting Low-cost Private Schooling in Rural Sindh’
The government realizes and promotes strategic partnerships with the private and community sectors in an effort to meet the challenges of both limited access and poor quality of education. In its latest initiative, the Government of Sindh (GoS) and the Sindh Education Foundation (SEF) have partnered for the implementation of the pilot project titled ‘Promoting Low-cost Private Schooling in Rural Sindh’. The project has been designed by the SEF in collaboration with the Sindh Education Sector Reform Program, Reform Support Unit and the World Bank. The Sindh Education Foundation (SEF), Government of Sindh is responsible for implementing and managing the pilot project.
Through supporting entrepreneurs in establishment of new private schools, this initiative seeks to provide free and quality educational services to the children in marginalized areas of the Sindh province. In the pilot phase, 1,000 low-cost private schools will be established by entrepreneurs in 10 districts including Thatta, Badin, Khairpur, Shaheed Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto (Nawabshah), Larkana, Kambar Shahdadkot, Sanghar, Mithi (Tharparkar), Dadu and Umerkot. The private entrepreneurs will be selected via comprehensive and transparent selection process.
In the first stage of pilot phase, 200 new schools will be established in rural localities where there are no educational facilities available within 1.5 km radius. Per-child per month fee subsidy will be provided to the entrepreneurs in order to promote longer term public private partnerships. Moreover to enhance the quality of education, the project will undertake development of the teachers professionally, building capacity of entrepreneurs and providing free text books and learning materials for students. Students’ assessments and monitoring will be an inherent and regular feature of the project. |
