Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah directed the Sindh Education Foundation (SEF) on Thursday to establish 300 digital ‘micro-schools’ aimed at enrolling 300,000 out-of-school children and hiring over 600 female learning facilitators. He also approved a budget of Rs800 million for this initiative.
These instructions were issued during a board meeting of the SEF, which was attended by Education Minister Syed Sardar Shah, Chief Secretary Asif Hyder Shah, Planning and Development Chairman Najam Shah, School Education Secretary Zahid Abbasi, Finance Secretary Fayaz Jatoi, SEF Managing Director Kazi Kabir, and board members Qaisar Bengali, Dr. Qazi Masood, and Dr. Mohammad Memon.
Microschooling, which modernizes the traditional one-room schoolhouse concept, utilizes smartphones and tablets to deliver effective learning programs for children from underprivileged backgrounds.
The Chief Minister approved the expansion of the Accelerated Digital Learning Programme (ADLP) in collaboration with the Teach the World Foundation, with Phase II set to span three years.
It was noted that the initial ADLP pilot, approved by the Board of Governors and Cabinet in 2023, was allocated Rs710 million to support approximately 12,500 learners.
Mr. Shah directed SEF MD Kazi Kabir to enroll 300,000 out-of-school children by 2025 through the establishment of 300 digital microschools. He also instructed the SEF to employ over 600 female learning facilitators for the initiative.
The SEF MD informed the CM that the per-student cost in the next phase of ADLP would be Rs2,200, leading to the CM approving Rs800 million for the SEF.
Additionally, the meeting was briefed that there are currently one million students enrolled across 2,734 schools, 35 public schools, 223 learning centers, and 125 micro-schools. Furthermore, 4,452 students are receiving scholarships, with 804 scholarship recipients having already graduated.
The Chief Minister was informed that the SEF operates in six regions and 23 districts and plans to launch 1,000 digital classrooms and implement skill development programs by 2025-26 to equip graduates with employable skills.
Education Minister Syed Sardar Shah noted that six previously non-functional public schools without proper shelter are being revitalized through SEF efforts.
He highlighted that SEF currently spends Rs16,000 per student per month, with an annual budget of Rs15,955 million, which is insufficient. The Chief Minister instructed the finance secretary to review the budget and suggest measures to address any shortfall.
The CM was also informed that an independent third party had been engaged to audit the SEF accounts for the fiscal years 2021-22 to 2023-24.
Lastly, the SEF MD reported that the SEF Endowment Fund currently stands at Rs4,068.893 million, with Rs1,218.893 million generated so far, and an additional profit of Rs52.256 million earned from the invested gratuity fund.
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