PESHAWAR – The Great Education Heist: How Rs 920 Million Vanished in KP – 13,221 Tablets Missing, Schools in Ruins

PESHAWAR : In what is being described as one of the biggest financial scandals in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s education history, the Auditor General of Pakistan’s annual audit report for FY 2024-25 has flagged alleged financial irregularities worth a staggering Rs 920 million (92 crores) in the Elementary and Secondary Education Department during the 13-year rule of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf.*

The revelations have triggered a high-level inquiry and raised serious questions about the utilization of public funds meant for poor children’s education.

*THE SMOKING GUN – DOCUMENTARY EVIDENCE*

Minute Mirror has obtained exclusive details from the Auditor General’s report and the internal scrutiny committee report.

The report states that all irregularities occurred during the tenure of *then Provincial Minister for Elementary and Secondary Education Shahram Khan Tarakai.*

*1. THE TABLET SCANDAL – Rs 374.3 Million – Where Did 13,221 Tablets Go?*

This is the heart of the scam.

– *Amount Spent:* Rs 424.7 million was spent to purchase tablets for 15,000 newly recruited teachers hired through District Education Officers.
– *Scrutiny Committee Finding:* An internal scrutiny committee was formed to verify the stock. The committee found that *only 1,779 tablets were returned to the Directorate.*
– *Missing:* *13,221 tablets – worth Rs 374.3 million – could not be accounted for.* No stock register, no distribution list, no acknowledgment receipt.

> “This is a classic case of ghost distribution. Tablets were shown as distributed on paper, but physically they never reached the teachers,” a senior audit official privy to the report told Minute Mirror on condition of anonymity.

*2. PAPER PROCUREMENT SCAM – BISE MARDAN – Rs 48.7 Million*

In a separate case, the Board of Intermediate and Secondary Education (BISE), Mardan during FY 2022-23 purchased examination paper worth Rs 48.7 million without open tender and at inflated rates.

*3. FAVOURITISM IN CONTRACT – Rs 192 Million Loss*

The report states that a contract was awarded to a “favored firm” in clear violation of KPPRA rules, causing a direct loss of *Rs 192 million* to the public exchequer.

*4. ILLEGAL ALLOWANCE – Rs 7.1 Million*

The Chairman of the Board allegedly withdrew *Rs 7.1 million as Executive Allowance* despite not being eligible for it under the rules.

*5. SMARTPHONE PURCHASE – Rs 13 Million Loss*

Smartphones were purchased at double the market price, causing a loss of *Rs 13 million*. Market price was Rs 25,000 per unit, but department purchased at Rs 55,000 per unit.

*OFFICIAL RESPONSE – EDUCATION DEPARTMENT IN PANIC MODE*

After the audit paras surfaced, the KP Education Department has gone into damage-control mode.

A high-level inquiry committee has been constituted with directions to submit its report *within 3 days*.

*Official Statement – Spokesperson KP Education Department told Minute Mirror:*

> “We have taken strict notice of the audit objections regarding tablet procurement and distribution. An inquiry committee has been constituted which will physically verify all tablets, check stock registers, and audit the record provided by DEOs. If anyone is found responsible, strict departmental and legal action will be taken. The matter may also be referred to NAB and Anti-Corruption Establishment if criminal liability is established.”

Sources inside the department confirmed that the file has been marked to the Secretary Education for referring the case to anti-corruption agencies.

*Background – The Other Side of the Coin – Crumbling Schools:*

While crores were allegedly siphoned off in the name of digital education, the ground reality is shocking.

Minute Mirror’s field investigation reveals:

– From *Bannu to Haripur*, dozens of government schools are operating in dilapidated buildings with cracked walls and no roofs.
– In *Dera Ismail Khan, Charsadda, and Buner*, multiple classrooms have been declared unusable, forcing thousands of students to sit under open sky.
– Repair and maintenance funds allocated for these schools were allegedly diverted.

A teacher in Buner told Minute Mirror:

> “We have been requesting for repair of three classrooms for two years. They say there is no budget. But they had 42 crores for tablets that no one has seen.”

*THE BIG QUESTIONS MINUTE MIRROR ASKS:*

1. Where are the 13,221 missing tablets? Were they sold in the open market?
2. Who was the favored firm that got the Rs 192 million contract without tender?
3. Why did BISE Mardan Chairman withdraw Rs 7.1 million illegally and who approved it?
4. Will the government recover the Rs 920 million from those responsible or will it be buried under audit paras like before?