PESHAWAR, Nov 20: The parent-teacher councils in two backward districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa have not only surpassed the target set for them by the Elementary and Secondary Education Department but have also provided additional facilities to the government-run schools using the given budget.

Under a pilot project, titled ‘Conditional Grant Project for Improving Facilities at Government-run Girls’ Primary Schools’ and launched in December 2011, the PTCs carried out petty repairs and minor civil works and purchased furniture, classroom consumables, laboratory equipment and consumables gardening in the selected government schools of Dera Ismail Khan and Buner districts.

According to officials in the Education Department, the selection of the two districts for the project was made in light of the low literacy rate and poor social and economic indications. A total of 201 government girls’ primary schools, 103 in DI Khan and 98 in Buner, were selected for provision of basic facilities, while PTCs was allowed to use Rs1 million each for the pilot project.

For DI Khan, Rs87 million was allocated for the execution of the plan, which consisted of the construction of 65 classrooms, electrification of 53 schools, provision of water supply to 36 schools, construction of boundary walls in three schools and four group latrines.

Officials said PTCs had not only executed the plan some five to six months before the schedule but had also done additional works in the same fund, which were not included in the plan like purchase of furniture for 103 girls primary schools, constructions of nine additional classrooms, 26 boundary walls, 26 group latrines and provision of electricity to 19 schools.

Similarly, the officials said Rs83 million was allocated for Buner district for construction of 59 classrooms, electrification of 58 schools, water supply to 27 schools and construction of 39 group latrines.

They said PTCs in Buner also executed the plan before the schedule time and that the councils also constructed 51 additional classrooms and 11 boundary walls which was not part of the project.

After the evaluation of the executed project, it was revealed that each classroom was constructed at the cost of Rs0.4-Rs0.6 million though the Works and Services Department does the same at the cost of Rs1.4 million.

In this way, the said PTCs saved millions of rupees.

According to the officials, the main financer of the project was the UK’s Department for International Development, while the provincial government had also contributed to the fund.

They said PTCs had not compromised on the material used in the construction of rooms and providing other facilities, according to an official at the Education Sector Reform Unit, which monitors utilisation of funds in the schools through PTCs.