School Specific Budget: Empowering Schools in Sindh

After the 18th Amendment, education was given greater authority in Pakistan. Educational institutions in the country have long been facing various problems and challenges, including shortages of funds and resources, particularly delays in the disbursement of funds at the grassroots level, and poor transparency and accountability regarding the utilisation of funds for school development. However, after this shift, the provinces started focusing on education related reforms and introduced new mechanisms to improve the quality of education, administrative structures, and resource management.

This initiative aimed to provide necessary funds to schools, remove intermediate hurdles in the disbursement process, and give authority to school headmasters and principals to utilise the funds for repair, maintenance, gardening, cleanliness, and other daily requirements of schools. The purpose of this initiative was to improve the quality of education in the province.

Regarding the School Specific Budget initiative, the World Bank observed that the primary purpose behind this initiative was to provide funds directly to school administrations without requiring them to frequently visit the offices of district officers and other relevant authorities for the release of funds. The World Bank emphasised providing authority to school administrations to directly utilise funds while keeping in view the needs and requirements of their respective schools.The World Bank, USAID, and JICA have been important partners in education development, including projects related to transparency, financial management, governance, and other areas pertaining to the improved and effective delivery of education services.

The Sindh Education and Literacy Department’s report published in media observed that, in previous years, school maintenance had to undergo unnecessary procedures for the provision of funds. The launch of the School Specific Budget was a step towards removing these hurdles and providing financial authority and funds to school administrations in a quicker and more efficient manner. It has been observed that during the past two decades, the Sindh Government has performed well in the education sector. The purpose behind various initiatives was to improve the quality of education and infrastructure, ensure the recruitment of teachers purely through third-party testing services, provide training to recruited teachers, launch teaching licence policies for teachers, and introduce other reforms.

Recent initiatives also include better planning, improvement of the school monitoring system, monitoring of teachers’ attendance and regularity, and ensuring administrative and financial transparency and accountability in the utilisation of funds. These measures ultimately aim to make schools more empowered as well as accountable.

The School Specific Budget is a model in which funds are specifically allocated to each school individually while keeping in view student enrolment, geographical conditions, and other relevant requirements. This approach aims to provide schools with greater authority to identify and address their issues. Under the School Specific Budget, various needs can be addressed, including the repair of school buildings, the purchase of furniture and other academic-related items, maintenance of cleanliness, availability of water and electricity, provision of other facilities, and promotion of academic and co-curricular activities. These measures can help improve the quality of education, motivate students, and provide a conducive learning environment.

This initiative not only aims to provide funds but also provides an opportunity for school administrations to utilise resources in a judicious and merit based manner. Education experts support the view that the availability of resources at the hands of local school administrations can help resolve issues quickly, smoothly, and efficiently without wasting time and energy in seeking approval of funds from district or divisional education offices.

The Sindh Education Department has taken initiatives to connect the School Specific Budget system with digital information and monitoring mechanisms. School data is being linked with the Sindh Education Management Information System, which will help improve planning, monitoring, and accountability.

The World Bank has highlighted that merely making information available is not sufficient for transparency; proper monitoring, effective skills, and accountability mechanisms are also essential factors.

The School Specific Budget has attempted to reduce unnecessary formalities and provide greater authority to schools. However, the media also highlighted the importance of proper monitoring of the process and warned that lack of professional knowledge and training could create challenges in the smooth disbursement and utilisation of funds. Therefore, capacity building and administrative skills of school administrations are significant factors for the successful implementation of this initiative.

The Education Minister, Syed Sardar Ali Shah, while sharing details of SSB with the media, observed that despite financial constraints, the SSB has been enhanced from Rs 18.5 billion to Rs 22 billion for the fiscal year 2026-27. He stated that the department is well aware of hurdles, including tax issues and accounts office related problems, in the process of releasing funds. He added that despite providing training to teachers, such challenges have persisted. Nevertheless, the project has been considered a success, and such achievements are widely highlighted in the media. Moreover, the Education Minister has encouraged stakeholders to actively participate in resolving the issues of schools in their surroundings and create a sense of ownership for these institutes.

The Sindh Education Department is working towards bringing school records and information online. Regarding transparency and accountability, the department highlights that a sense of responsibility and ownership will help in effectively utilising the budget and resolving issues of local education institutions. The World Bank has also emphasised that transparency does not only mean digitising relevant information but also ensuring that resources are properly utilised to meet the educational needs of students. Providing basic financial knowledge and administrative skills to school administrations can further reduce hurdles in the effective utilisation of funds.

Media discussions regarding transparency have also highlighted the importance of community participation and digital monitoring of the process. Community participation can play an important role in ensuring that schools remain accountable and that available resources are utilised according to actual requirements at the local level.

Apart from addressing daily needs, the Education Department is aware of major issues and challenges, such as the need for additional classrooms, major renovation of school buildings, and approval of electricity and water supply schemes. The department is determined to resolve these matters through major development projects. However, the School Specific Budget cannot replace major development projects; rather, it supports school administrations in meeting immediate needs and improving daily operations.

In Sindh, the fiscal decentralisation move is considered a positive and welcome step. Allocation of funds is undoubtedly an encouraging move, but proper and effective implementation for the utilisation of the budget is equally important.

Schools in remote areas of the province lack basic facilities, and this initiative will hopefully help reduce their problems. However, transparency, regular monitoring, and administrative skills remain significant prerequisites for effectively utilising the budget.

The School Specific Budget represents an important reform in Sindh’s education sector. By providing financial authority at the school level, improving monitoring systems, promoting transparency, and encouraging community ownership, the initiative has the potential to strengthen school administration and contribute towards better educational outcomes across the province.