Local Governance for Poverty Reduction; Integrated Solutions for Human Resource Development

Local Governance for poverty reduction; integrated solutions for human resource development – A case of Faisalabad

 Local governance for poverty reduction; integrated solutions for human resource development

Chair: Dr. Kasier Bengali (Director SZABIST)

Co-Chair: Najma Saddique

Papers: Haris Gazdar (Director Collective for Social Science Research)

. Human Capital and Community Participation, or Social Capital and Community Construction: Sources of Demand for Universal Schooling

Naveed Ahmed Sheikh (Sindh Devolved Social Services Program)

. Education and Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper/Program

Syed Muhammad Khatib Alam (DFID Project Manager, Faisalabad)

Local Governance For Poverty Reduction: Integrated Solution For Human Resource Development.

Najma Saddique 1. Empowering rural women through providing informal education

Human Capital and Community Participation, or Social Capital and Community Construction: Sources of Demand for Universal Schooling

Haris Gazdar

Abstract

The literacy transition – or the attainment of universal basic schooling – remains an unfulfilled aspiration over much of South Asia. The policy debate on this question – that is, the deficit in achieving universal schooling -- has come to be dominated by the economics discipline. The public argument for education is couched, more often than not, in terms of the contribution of human capital to economic growth. The analysis of the schooling deficit, likewise, is conducted within the economics or political economy frameworks. This paper argues that current policy paradigm on the schooling deficit ought to be more attentive to empirical findings from the ground in the South Asian countries, and to the historical experience of the literacy transition elsewhere. It might be a grave mistake to locate the demand for schooling primarily with individuals and households that will articulate their collective will through community participation. There is evidence to show that the demand for schooling that has really mattered has come from higher-level political entities interested in pursuing projects of community construction. For these entities – mostly nation-states but also others – schooling and schools are instruments for the achievement of larger political goals. The recognition of this dimension will have radical implications for how societies might undergo the literacy transition.

PRESENTATION

Haris Gazdar

District Government Faisalabad 1 Strategic Policy Unit Local Governance for poverty reduction; integrated solutions for human resource development – A case of Faisalabad Naveed Ahmed Sheikh (Sindh Devolved Social Services Program)

. Education and Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper/Program

Education and PRSP

Naveed Ahmed Shaikh

Program Officer--Education

Program Support Unit

Sindh Devolved Social Services Program

Finance Department

Abstract: The Poverty Reduction Strategy (PRSP) of Pakistan has four pillars i.e i) Accelerated Economic Growth ii) improving governance and devolution iii) investment in human capital and iv) targeted programs on social inclusion. The Education sector is directly targeted under the pillar no. 2, 3 and 4. PR-Strategy sets out well defined benchmark for input, output and outcomes indicators to be monitored while executing the education reform policies by the Government. However a mid-term evaluation shows that most of the milestones set for the government have been missed. For instance Government has missed the target of having 1,53824 schools by 2004-05. Similarly the current Gross Primary Enrolment Rate which is just 86% is far short than the target rate of 100%. The Gender gap that should been zeroed in 2005 (Pakistan’s EFA commitment) is still at 17 percentage points. Pakistan is also all set to miss the PRSP target of achieving 58% Net Primary Enrolment Rate (NPER). The current NPER is just around 52%. Pakistan has to achieve 88% Literacy by 2015, if it is to meet Millennium Development Goal no. 2. However Pakistan seems to miss this goal also as the present literacy rate is 53%, with an annual increase of just 2 percentage points. The paper traces the main causes of present crisis and investigates the role of District Governments in the sector. Paper establishes that Federal Government is still encroaching upon the domain of provincial and district governments (Education Sector Reform Program, TAWANA Pakistan Program, Non-Formal Basic Education Program etc). The dichotomy thus created results in administrative and managerial chaos. Until the governments implements the real decentralization of the education sector, the EFA and MDG targets will remain an elusive dream for us.

PAPER:

Education sector has seen quite a few innovative policies and latest being the PRSP and the devolution plan. Though both are different in their direction and content however they aim towards the same goal.

Pakistan Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper 1. The Poverty Reduction strategy paper of Pakistan has four pillars i.e. i) Accelerated Economic Growth ii) Improving governance and devolution iii) Investment in human capital and iv) Targeted programs on social inclusion. The Education sector is directly targeted under the pillar no. 2, 3 and 4.

District Government Faisalabad 2 Strategic Policy Unit Local Governance for poverty reduction; integrated solutions for human resource development – A case of Faisalabad 2. While acknowledging the education to be “the most important factor distinguishing the poor from the non-poor”, PRSP just commits 2.5 % of GDP by 2008. Whereas Bhutan spends 5.2%, Iran 4.4%, India 4.1%, Maldives 3.9%, Nepal 3.7 and Sri Lanka 3.1 % of their GDP for education1. 3. Under Poverty Reduction Strategy , the Federal Government has initiated two programs i) Education Sector Reform Program and ii) National Commission of Human Development; both vertical programs are encroaching upon not only provincial domain but also district governments (DGs) domain. In Education Sector Reform Program, the Federal Government determines not only the size of the program, but also the specific allocation to be made for each area of emphasis. (Funds flow down to districts as development grants through provinces.) Although the PRSP envisages Sector Wide Approach (SWAp), Education Sector Reform Program exposes PRSP Strategy’s in-built contradiction in its approach towards reform agenda under Devolution. (Who are to bear the operational and maintenance cost of the scheme). The history of failure of vertical programs is well known to us all. Even the less than mediocre performance of ESR is testimony of the lopsided approach of federal authorities.

Mid-Term Review 1. Poverty Reduction Strategy sets out well defined benchmark for input, output and outcomes indicators to be monitored while executing the education reform policies by the Government. However a mid-term evaluation shows that most of the milestones set for the government have been missed. For instance Government has missed the target of having 1,53824 schools by 2004-052. Similarly the current Gross Primary Enrolment Rate which is just 86% is far short than the target rate of 100%. The gender gap that should have been zeroed in 2005 (Pakistan’s EFA commitment) is still at 17 percentage points. Pakistan is also all set to miss the PRSP target of achieving 58% Net Primary Enrolment Rate (NPER). The current NPER is just around 52%3. Pakistan has to achieve 88% Literacy by 2015, if it is to meet Millennium Development Goal no. 2. However Pakistan seems to miss this goal also as the present literacy rate is 53%, with an annual increase of just 2 percentage points. Sindh PRSP 1. In pursuance of PRSP, each province has drafted its own PRSP. The Education chapter of Sindh’s PRSP is largely the repetition of statements of intent, campaigns, programmes and projects from earlier plans and schemes. Like the P-PRSP, S-PRSP conveniently ignores the equity factor in education sector. In view of growing share of private education in the province this omission reflects poorly on the government’s commitments towards poverty alleviation.

2. It is interesting to note that most of the education reforms suggested in S-PRSP correspond to World Bank’s supported “Sindh Reform Program” under Structural Adjustment Credit Program. Following table lists down the various issues identified in the S-PRSP and intended reforms in the area. Sindh PRSP WB-SAC Sindh Reform Program

Improving Access Increasing Access

-Enrolment drives -Enrolment drives - Incentive programs - Incentive program - Redeployment and Recruitment of teachers - Reopening of closed schools through redeployment Improving Quality & Accountability Improving Quality - SMCs - teacher training with competency testing - Contractual teachers - Education assessment program - teacher competency testing Strengthening Monitoring & Evaluation System Improving Governance and Monitoring Evaluation - Comprehensive Census including information on - facility based contract teachers teachers and Private/NGO school facilities - Comprehensive - TPV School Census including Human Resource and private - Provincial Education Assessment Program sector data - TPVs Enhancing Public Private Partnership Strengthening Public Private Partnership

1 Social Policy and Development Center, Social Development in Pakistan, 2004 2 PRSP, Annual Progress Report 2004-05 3 Source: PSLM 2004-05 District Government Faisalabad 3 Strategic Policy Unit Local Governance for poverty reduction; integrated solutions for human resource development – A case of Faisalabad - Denationalization - leasing out school buildings to Private /NGO sector - Adopt a School Program - Adopt a school program - SMCs

3. There are two glaring omissions in Sindh PRSP vis-à-vis education sector. First, there is no reference to commitment to promote equity. Second, there is no specification as to the source of the revenues to finance the proposed reform initiatives. Issues covered although important but are not comprehensive. For example important areas like technical / college education, subject teachers, provision of science laboratories have not been discussed/ planned in S-PRSP. In fact the issues taken up and proposed reforms are the perfect replica of World Bank Structural Adjustment Program. Poor Access and Inadequate Infrastructure 4. While talking about access, Sindh PRSP conveniently ignores to take into account the present capacity of the public sector school system. Table below presents the current capacity of the public sector schools.

Table 1 A Participation Capacity in Public Education Sector Level Primary Elementary H. Secondary

Age 4-9 10-14 15-16 Total Population 6,551,438 4,248,230 1,258,476 12,058,144 Existing Class Rooms 70,417 22,420 2,283 95,120

Participation Capacity 2,112,510 672,600 68,490 2,853,600

Student currently enrolled 2,790,161 727,275 216,295 3,733,731

Overcrowded % 132% 108% 316% 131% To Enroll all no. of more classrooms needed 147,964 119,188 39,666 306,818 % increase of C.R needed than the existing 310% 632% 1837% 423%

New Schools needed to accommodate all children 29,593 23,838 7,933 61,364 Additional Financial Resource Requirement 36,635

District Government Faisalabad 4 Strategic Policy Unit Local Governance for poverty reduction; integrated solutions for human resource development – A case of Faisalabad

Table 1 B Human Resource Requirement Level Primary Elementary H.Secondary Age 4-9 10-14 15-16 Total Population 6,551,438 4,248,230 1,258,476 12,058,144 Enrolment 2,746,927 678,873 125,564 3,551,364 Teachers 96,546 37,992 5,421 139,959 T:S ratio for existing Enrolment 28 18 23 25 To Enroll all Children- Additional Teachers Required 121,835 103,616 36,528 261,979

% additional Resource Requirement 56% 73% 87% 65% Additional Financial Requirement/year 7,310 7,460 2,630 18,862 Source: Sindh Education Management Information System: 2004:05

5. Above tables show that even in the most perfect of the scenarios, government can not increase the overall enrollment rate significantly. Currently public education sector has 95,000 classrooms. This capacity can accommodate only 2.8 million students. However the current enrolment is 3.7 million, showing 131% utilization of the system. Similarly Sindh need additional 0.26 million teachers to reach to EFA and MDGs4. However expansion of the public school system has been ignored in the paper without which any realistic progress towards stated goal would remain impossible.

PRSP and Devolution 6. Probably the most neglected area in the follow up of Strategy Paper. Federal and Provincial Governments have failed to find alternative solutions to vertical programs. Instead of using the conditional and tied grants to promote PRSP goals and Sector Wide Approach, Federal and Provincial governments are unrelenting on vertical programs. These vertical programs miss the vital “subsidiary principle” and fail to accommodate the local differences and challenges. Although “Capacity Gap” has often conveniently been quoted as the reason for top-down approach however very little has been done to fill this gap. Recommendations/ Suggestions:  Decentralization of administrative powers to Local Governments should be completed as envisaged in LGO, 2001.  Assessment of fiscal need of each district should be undertaken. Similarly, cost assessment of service delivery should also be made.  Judicious use should be made of both block and conditional grants linked to: o District Education Sector Plans; and o Furtherance of decentralization within the District Governments  Incentive / Technical Support programs for good and bad performing districts should be structured. The present practice of across-the-board assessment and solution should be discontinued.  Obligatory Functions and Minimum Service Standards should be set up for District Governments.  There should be a concerted and integrated effort on capacity building of District Governments.

References

4 Author’s estimates on Department’s service standards i.e. 30 children per class room and 1 teacher per 30 students. District Government Faisalabad 5 Strategic Policy Unit Local Governance for poverty reduction; integrated solutions for human resource development – A case of Faisalabad

 GoP (2003) Accelerating Economic Growth and Reducing Poverty: The Road Ahead: Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper.  GoP (2005) PRSP Annual Progress Report FY 2004-05.  GoP and UN (2004) Pakistan Millennium Development Goals Report.  GoS (2003) Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper.  GoS (2004) Sindh District Based Multiple Indicators Cluster Survey (MICS) 2003-04.  GoS (2005) Census Report, Sindh Education Management Information System.  SPDC (2004) Social Development in Pakistan.  World Bank, Asian Development Bank, DFID (2004) Devolution in Pakistan.

PRESENTATION

Naveed Ahmed Sheikh

Subject: Local governance for poverty reduction: integrated solution for human resource development: evidence and practices By; Author: Syed Mohammed Khatib Alam Organisation: Overall Team Leader/Project Manager “Strengthening Decentralised Local Government in Faisalabad” E-mail www.spu.com.pk

Abstract

Local governance for poverty reduction: integrated solution for human resource development: evidence and practices – A case of Faisalabad

The City District Government Faisalabad (CDGF) is pursuing a reform agenda that targets local governance for sustained poverty reduction through improved service delivery. The CDGF is committed to excellence, working with others, improving mechanisms to hold those in power District Government Faisalabad 6 Strategic Policy Unit Local Governance for poverty reduction; integrated solutions for human resource development – A case of Faisalabad accountable and efficiency of service delivery. It believes that at the local level, poverty can be targeted, efficiently and effectively if all of its departments work in an integrated and inclusive manner. Although, the reforms are covering all the CDGF sectors, this paper examines the Education sector

Considering poverty reduction to being multi-facet for which all stakeholders have to play their roles, the CDGF has developed a Corporate Governance plan and has defined a mission statement for itself. This first Corporate Plan focuses mainly on five dimensions of reforms: Fiscal responsibility; Citizen focus; Organisational improvement; Capacity development and Information management systems.

City District Government believes that change at the corporate level can only become effective if the departments engaged in the service delivery perform as per the emerging needs of the 21st century. As a result, department Strategic Operational Plans were prepared for each of the department of the CDGF, which are linked to the District Corporate plan. These multi-year rolling plans are evidence-based and provide an in-depth analysis of the current situation and practices prevailing in departments. A comprehensive consultation exercise was carried out with various stakeholders to understand the current situation. This situation analysis then became the basis for defining different service areas / objectives / activities that needed to be implemented over the next few years. This planning exercise was undertaken in a very consultative manner and reflected the City District Government’s focus over the next 4 years on certain principles of good governance, namely: inclusiveness, integrity, openness, accountability, responsiveness, efficiency and effectiveness in all business activities.

This major reforms initiative that is underway in Faisalabad is being undertaken in collaboration with various local, national and international development partners including the DFID funded grant project: “Strengthening Decentralised Local Government in Faisalabad”.

This paper outlines the process that was undertaken with respect to the development of the Corporate Plan and the Education Department Strategic Operational Plan. It also tries to address the key question: is Faisalabad moving towards being able to compile sufficient evidence that will, in time, show that poverty can be reduced through Education ?

A number of technical documents and short case studies can be downloaded from the City District Governemnt Faisalabad Strategic Policy Unit web site: www.spu.com.pk

PAPER Background

Faisalabad District has a population of about 6.5 million people. Faisalabad City has a population of about 2.5 million and it is the second largest City in Punjab after Lahore and the third largest City in Pakistan. It has 289 Union Councils, spread over 6 Thesils and with an elected house of about 412. As of October 2005, Faisalabad became a City District with 8 towns. The great majority of Faisalabad is rural.

City District Government Faisalabad (CDGF) believes that in order for poverty reduction to occur through education, it is necessary to have an integrated and inclusive approach to development.

This paper highlights on two aspects of local Governance. Firstly, how CDGF underwent a detailed strategic planning process from May – November 2004 as part of a broad package of local government reforms and secondly the implementation experiences from December 2004 to December 2005.

The CDGF spent some six months to develop Corporate Plan which has a detailed mission statement and core values. It also sets out the direction of the district and the focus of the district. The later comprises; Fiscal Responsibility, Organisational Improvement, Citizen Focus, Capacity Development and Information Systems.

For the Education department the Executive District Officer (EDO) and his team developed a Strategic Operational Plan (SOP). This SOP was in two parts. The first consists of a very detailed evidence- based situational analysis, which culminated in a series of recommendations. The recommendations were linked to the gaps identified in reaching one of the goals mentioned in the Corporate Plan of being a “Learning District”. District Government Faisalabad 7 Strategic Policy Unit Local Governance for poverty reduction; integrated solutions for human resource development – A case of Faisalabad

This plan was approved by the Zila Council and is being used as a key tool in transforming the district government into performance oriented and strategy based local government. The logical link between the Corporate Plan and Departmental Strategic Operational Plans is given in Figure-1. A similar exercise was carried out for all the departments of the district.

As a local government, Faisalabad functioned without any real strategic direction, focusing on inputs rather than outputs and outcomes. Fiscal discipline and management was weak. The budgeting and planning processes were disconnected and financial reporting, auditing and information dissemination given low priority. While some aspects of internal communication were present external dimensions were completely amiss. Strategic development and performance management were not only absent but alien concepts. All of these issues and others, resulted in service delivery sectors, like Education, suffering.

This paper is broadly divided into two sections. In the first section, the strategic planning process and experiences are highlighted, whereas in the second section, the implementation process and achievements have been discussed especially with reference to the governance issues in the education sector centered around the stated district dimensions of good governance: Fiscal Responsibility, Organisation Improvements, Citizen Focus, Capacity Building and Information Systems.

Figure-1: Logical link between the Corporate Plan and Departmental Strategic Operational Plans (SOPs)

STRATEGIC PLANNING PROCESS IN DISTRICT FAISALABAD

Key Governance Issues

Devolution reforms for local governments in Pakistan have not been easy. While the local government ordinance of 2001 sets out the framework for local governments there remains considerable ambiguity and the document is open to differing interpretations. The new revised ordinance (2005) armed with new amendments is a stronger and clearer document. Notwithstanding this, devolution has been painful for districts such as Faisalabad. Often the successful implementation of the Devolution of Power Plan has hinged on the dynamic between the DCO and District Nazim. In Faisalabad this has been very positive, however, identification from these top management tier of a lack of professional capacity, poor decision making (often in the absence of real data), adhoc planning, poor accountability, lack of responsiveness, disjointed efforts and considerable delays in activities in the district necessitated change and reform. The following are the main Governance issues that were identified early in 2004: i. Lack of strategic management/planning ii. Lack of professional capacity iii. Poor information management systems iv. Lack of strategic management

District Government Faisalabad 9 Strategic Policy Unit Local Governance for poverty reduction; integrated solutions for human resource development – A case of Faisalabad At the centre of the strategic planning and management, process is the desire to see performance that is measured. This must be more than a numerical, data analysis mechanism. Performance management involves acting on information that emerges from the system so that actions can be modified where necessary to achieve improved results. In Faisalabad the city district government decided to take this new direction. A strategic planning process was started in Faisalabad over a 6-month period, which involved extensive consultations and discussion with key local policy makers and other stakeholders. The process followed has been illustrated in Figure-2.

Step 1 – Developing a Corporate Mission Statement

Developing a mission of the CDGF was regarded as agreeing to a set of common guiding values and principles that would ultimately help towards the realization of the district goals. These principles were to allow the district and tehsil (now town, after the creation of the City District) councils to communicate to the community at large as to what the district aims to achieve in the future. It was also intended, to help to translate the council’s political intentions into actions. The District Nazim, District Coordination Officer (DCO), Executive District Officers (EDOs) and some elected members pointed out that that the district mission needed to represent the situation the local government wish to aspire to.

The process of developing a corporate mission proved to be daunting, especially since there had been no previous experience of the process. It was all the more difficult, since the local government existed in a multi-dimensional environment where the politics, social, cultural and economic conditions all played a role in shaping the way the administration was governed. This had and would continue to affect the way in which public services are ultimately delivered. In Faisalabad, the process of carefully crafting a corporate mission had two key features. Firstly, officers at every tier of district government including Tehsil (now Town) Municipal Administrations were party to the discussions, focus groups and brainstorming sessions. Executive District Officers, Deputy District Officers, District Officers and front line personnel (such as Teahers, Engineers, Planners) were consulted over a period of 6 months. Initial discussions were held with the DCO and District Nazim to begin the process of dialogue over what might constitute a mission statement.

Figure-2: Key steps in the strategic planning process conducted by the City District Government and its departments

Step 1 Step 2 Step 3 Develop a corporate Carry out a detailed Workshops to map mission for the district situation analysis internal processes within department (information & workflows)

Step 4 Step 5 Step 6 Identifying a mission Defining goals and Create an action plan for Departments objectives for the with timeframes, through consultation department resources, indicators and outputs ______Secondly, a draft version of the mission statement, in both English and Urdu, was circulated throughout local government, subsequent changes agreed to, before agreeing on a final statement.

Step 2 – Carry out a situation analysis

Each department, led by the EDO, carried out a detailed evidence-based situation analysis of its key roles and responsibilities, work processes and information flows. For example, the EDO and his team played a pivotal role in assessing how information was created, processed, archived and reported within the Education department and also to other departments. This gave an opportunity to assess where duplication existed within working practices and where departments wanted to see themselves in the short – medium and long term with respect to making decisions in a more “informed” manner.

District Government Faisalabad 10 Strategic Policy Unit Local Governance for poverty reduction; integrated solutions for human resource development – A case of Faisalabad Step 3 – Using workshop methodology to identify gaps and inefficiencies in systems and processes

Following the situation analysis, workshop-based discussions were held to map how information flowed internally and externally between departments, who was doing the work, what kind of documents were created. In the workshop, staff also mapped the time taken to carry out routine activities, their associated costs to determine waste and inefficiency. Inefficiencies and bottlenecks were identified within departmental processes to determine direct impact on service delivery. For example the number of processes and timetaken to implement a typical project of the Punjab Education Sector Reforms Progrmme (PESRP) is shown in Figure 3. These kind of findings were used to feedback to the departments and contribute to shaping goals, objectives and action plans.

Step 4 – Developing departmental mission statements

A vision is often a dream and an ideal situation that conveys hope for the future. To give the departments a sense of focus and direction they were asked to develop their own specific vision and mission statements. In some instances these already existed but were rarely referred to by staff, in others this exercise was conducted for the first time. The process itself involved;

 Getting officers from departments in focus groups and discussing what mattered most to the departments in terms of improving services and defining what issues would be most important to consumers, clients and citizens  During the focus groups participants were asked what was their dream or the ideal situation that the department wished to achieve and what kind of change they would like to see i.e.

Suggestions noted and refined to frame a vision and mission statement. Everyone was given an opportunity to give their thoughts and suggestions consensus was reached before finally agreeing on department Vision, Mission and Goals. Objectives were linked to the district government mission statement  There were discussions on what needed to change in the departments in order to meet respective missions  EDOs then drew up list of priority areas they wished to change and the resources that they needed to bring about the necessary changes. EDOs for the relevant departments were then made the change agents.  Baseline information was gathered to assess how big some of the problems were facing departments and used to help prioritize and formulate the objectives  Departmental priorities then became the objectives. Objectives are specific measurable results of an initiative. These are mid term statements of goals

Figure 3: Typical process of scheme preparation and approval of projects at the district level under the Punjab Education Sector Reforms Programme (PESRP)

District Government Faisalabad 1 Strategic Policy Unit Local Governance for poverty reduction; integrated solutions for human resource development – A case of Faisalabad The following statement is the final mission statement that was developed for the EDO Education Department.

The Department of Education, City District Faisalabad is committed to meeting the learning needs of all through the provision of a quality education that is cost effective and sustainable with capacity building rooted in local areas and informed by ground realities. Further, it will seek to:

 Ensure that by 2015 all children, with special emphasis on girls and children in difficult circumstances, have access to and complete a free and compulsory elementary education of good quality;  Eliminate gender disparities in primary and secondary education and achieve gender equality in all sub- sectors in education by 2015; and  Improve all aspects of the quality of education, ensuring excellence so that recognized and measurable learning outcomes are achieved by all, especially in literacy, numeracy and essential life skills

Step 6 - Creating the strategies and action plans

The final step in the strategic planning process for district departments was to develop strategies and 5-year actions plans. They key features here were to identify how each of the objectives were to be achieved, who was going to take responsibility for each of the change areas, what resources were going to be needed to implement the strategies and plans. The process itself of arriving at a consensus over the strategies and plans took place in the following manner:

 Key members from the departments were convened in focus group and workshop discussions  Action steps for each objective were identified which were further divided into activities and sub-tasks to complete those activities.  Against each activity there was start and end date and lead team members and support staff clearly earmarked in the plans so to avoid confusion as to who was responsible for doing what  Performance indicators were also developed as means of monitoring progress and demonstrating to EDOs and other staff members whether the strategies and steps were on target  The action plans were prepared to cover a 5-year period.

Strategic Planning Process – Some Lessons

A summary of lessons learnt would include:

 Strategic planning at the district level needs to be very much demand-driven  A workable strategy needs to emerge out of a process of consultation and consensus building  Budgets and resources are an integral part of the strategic planning process  Developing simple performance indicators is a good way of monitoring progress against targets

Strategic planning encompassed developing a Vision, Mission, Objectives, Strategies and Actions for the district departments. It was viewed amongst the departments as a practical tool that can help turn around the performance of a department moving away from ad-hoc decision making and planning. These were regarded as “blueprints” for moving from dreams to actions and outcomes within departments. This is a fluid and ongoing process.

It was decided quite early in 2003 that strategic planning was required to give the CDGF structure and direction, with a clearer focus on results and outcomes in the short and medium terms. Undertaking the process was intended to help to build consensus about what to do and when to do it by allowing everyone to focus their efforts. Strategic planning can be a time consuming but rewarding process. This has been the experience of district departments in Faisalabad. Though, in the early months, there was some resistance and skepticism of the need for Strategic Operational Plans, gradually, departments have begun to appreciate their value in aiding and assessing departmental performance and reporting upon this at an internal EDO conference, headed by the DCO, every month and to the Council every 6 months.

Faisalabad City District Government produces performance reports bi-annually against targets set in departmental Strategic Operational Plans. These plans act as benchmarks for EDOs and their respective departments to assess what has been done against the plans where problems have emerged. It allows the district government to measure progress and embed a performance management culture.

District Government Faisalabad 1 Strategic Policy Unit Local Governance for poverty reduction; integrated solutions for human resource development – A case of Faisalabad The Change Management concept diagram that was used in developing the District Corporate Plan and the various department strategic operational plans is illustrated in Figure 4.

Figure 4: Change Management Concept Diagram for City District Government Faisalabad City District Government Corporate Corporate Mission Statement Governance & Core Values

EDO Department Strategic Mission Key Objectives for: Strategic Working Statement for & Goals & (a) 2 year & Plan including Pilot Department (b) 5 year Projects if relevant

Gaps Identified &Change Issues Change Change Change Change Change Identified Issue 1 Issue 2 Issue 3 Issue 4 Issue 5 And Agreed with Respective EDO Identify - Who will under take the change? - What is the change? - Barriers to change - Where will it impact? Define the process in - Driving the change - When will it take place? detail i.e. how you - Resisting the change - Why is the change necessary? move from: - Incentives - How much will it cost? - Defining needs in - Studies to undertake - Time - How long will it take? relation to desired - Consultations - Poverty Focus change - Performance - Performance & progress indicators - Assessing existing measurement Tools - Toolkits for monitoring change gaps between what is needed and what exists - Specifying action to fill gaps for each DETAILED DEPARTMENT SITUATIONAL ANALYSIS core service area Department Service Management including support Issues to Consider Issues to Consider Tools to Use service (Finance, 1) Define the departments service task 1) Operational Issues 2) Identify client list & hold focus group session to - Process SWOT External Environment determine quality of service - People 3) Assess the service delivery - Systems - Strengths - Political 4) Determine what resources are used in service delivery - Structure - Weaknesses - Economical 5) Audit the operational elements of customer retention 2) Management / Institutional Issues - Opportunities - Social 6) Measure the quality of service management 3) HRM Issues - Threats / Constraints - Technological 7) Audit the resource productivity management - Employee development - Demographical 8) Assess service recovery management - Reward - Legal 9) Assess the management of strategic human 4) Financial Issues resources 5) Local Government Ordinance 2001 10)Monitor communication effectiveness

THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE STRATEGIC OPERATIONAL PLANNING PROCESS

Although the reforms and the implementation of the strategic planning process is taking place in all departments of the City District Government Faisalabad for the purpose of this paper discussions relate to the reform process in the EDO Education Department.

Fiscal Responsibility

For CDGF, fiscal responsibility means to aim for prudent fiscal management through: effective management of revenue and expenditure allocations; improved budget policy estimation and targeting; streamlined accounting, effective auditing; transparent reporting

Tighter financial management has been the key aim since 2004. A number of steps have been taken by the district government to ensure that greater fiscal responsibility is achieved. For one, there is closer engagement

District Government Faisalabad 2 Strategic Policy Unit Local Governance for poverty reduction; integrated solutions for human resource development – A case of Faisalabad with the provincial finance department on the management of the district’s budgets. Dialogues have been initiated with the Provincial government about the confusion that arises when provincial financial transfers are released into the same accounts, namely vertical programme grants i.e. PESRP funds etc. Similarly, greater clarity has been requested on how to spend conditional grants. What’s more, CDGF has halted plans to implement any new schemes in the current financial year, the emphasis being on repaying outstanding liabilities before taking on new ones. Equally important was the decision to present a realistic picture of the district’s finances to the new District Assembly informing them of the financial constraints facing District Government.

At present, options are being explored to see how district government account functions can be supported and strengthened in order to allow accurate monthly reconciliation of accounts. Efforts have been made by the Education department to identify the issues and a workshop on improving procedures between District Government and District Accounts Office is scheduled to be held before April 2006. The Executive District Officer education has instructed sub-departments to provide receipts statements dually verified by the District Accounts Office before the 10th of every month to his Office Similarly the expenditure statements are to be provided to the Executive District Officer on or before the 12th of every month. This new practice has started and the department is providing reconciled statements on monthly basis to the office of Executive District Officer Finance & Planning. Districts commitment to the Education sector is commendable and has been able to increase the actual development expenditure in 2004-2005 by just over 11% as compared to the fiscal year, 2002-2003 (Figure 5). As per the Local Government Ordinance 2001, this figure takes into account the vertical grants from the Provincial Government.

The department can now closely monitor the allocation of development and non-development funds in primary and secondary schools. With the help of the Districts simple Financial Management Information Systems (FMIS) and PIFRA, it is envisaged that in the future, the Education department will be able to produce reports regarding the actual cost per unit, investment per child and distribution in the district.

Figure-5:e Education Department Actual Development Expenditure as a percentage of total district r u t i

d development expenditure (as of 30th June 2005) n

e 30.00%

p 27.23% x 279.429 (M) E Education Department Expenditure including other vertical programs in the Total ADP

a Education Department Expenditure with only ADP schemes - No vertical programs. t o 25.00% T

e g a t

n 20.00% e c

r 15.87% e

p 73.98 (M)

a 13.55% s 15.00% a 139.07 (M)

e r u t i d

n 10.00% e p x E

i 5.00% t a c 0.82% u 0.37% 0.37% d 3.83 (M)

E 2.43 (M) 2.44 (M) 0.00% 2002-2003 2003-2004 2004-2005 Expenditure breakdown of the education department Period Ongoing 2002-2003 Annual Development Program Citizen Community Board Ongoing 3.829 M 12.611 M Social Action Program Education Sector Reform 5.891 M 2003-2004 6.346 M 6.119 M 57.014 M PP PESRP 8.75 M GPP 129.485 M 24 M District Local Funds 5.56 M

Annual Development Khushall Pakistan Program Program PP, 19.379 2004-2005 Presentation of the 15.87% (Rs 73.98 M) Presentation of the 27.23 % (Rs 279.429 M) 69.445 M

Organisational Improvements

Reorganisation of the Education Department

EDO Education believes that the fragmentation of the district Education Department is leading to inefficiencies and lack of effective performance. There is a need to reorganise the department in a manner, which is consistent with the responsibilities assigned to the department. This requires the creation of additional posts for DEOs and the amalgamation of some existing posts. In addition, this would enable the EDO office to pool the existing resources so that they can be used more effectively. While the Devolution Plan gives wide responsibilities to the district government, it does not explicitly specify whether they have the authority to reorganise existing departments.

The goals of the education department can be achieved through performing certain functions. Broadly these are: Planning and development, Budget and accounts, academic affairs, monitoring and training, general administration, examination and coordination etc. Presently these functions have been mixed up in one post at Central, Tehsil and Center Levels. This state of affairs has impeded upward and downward mobility and has weakened flow of authority and control, effective implementation and two-way communication. Resultantly, the EDO cannot have quality management of the department.

It is therefore proposed by the EDO Education department that hierarchy of functions may be structured as indicated in Figure-6. The important features of this arrangement would be that at the District headquarter, EDO may be supported by 7 DOs for conducting Examination, Academic affairs and Training, P&D, Finance & Budget, Administration separate for male & female and Coordination & Sports. At the Tehsil level the DDEO (Education) will coordinate between Tehsil and District Headquarter and would report to all DOs as and when required. The DDO will be supported by three ADDOs at Tehsil Headquarter. They will be responsible for Examination, Academics & Training, Finance, P &D and for administration male and female. The DDO & ADDO will be supported by AEOs at markaz level. All officers should be placed, if possible at one premises at District and Tehsil Headquarter. Separate charters of duties for each post and criteria of performance evaluation will be developed. At District Headquarter & Tehsil Headquarter level internal auditor from Auditor General may be placed for pre-disbursement audit and scrutiny.

Figure 6: Proposed organizational structure for Education Department.

Executive District Officer (Education)

District Officer District Officer District Officer District Officer District Officer District Officer District Officer District (Academic & (Planning & (Finance & (Administration (Administration (Coordination & (Examination) Level Training) Development) Budget) (Male)) (Female)) Sports) Setup

Deputy District Officer (at Each Town Headquarter)

Town Level Setup 8 Town ADDO (Coordination) ADDO ADDO (Examination / Academic (Finance & Planning) (Administration) & Training)

Markaz Assistant Education Officer Level Male & Female Separately at Setup Markaz Level 24+22=46

Job analysis, Job description and person specification for Education Department

Job analysis is the process of collecting, analyzing and setting out information about the content of a job. Apart from its role in recruitment and selection, job analysis also has a central part to play in the identification of training needs, setting of performance targets and drawing up new organizational structures. Moreover without effective and objective job analysis as their foundation, it can be difficult to justify decisions in the

District Government Faisalabad 4 Strategic Policy Unit Local Governance for poverty reduction; integrated solutions for human resource development – A case of Faisalabad fields of promotion, disciplinary action for poor performance as such, while essentially being a technical administrative task, job analysis can be convincingly characterized as a process that adds value to district’s activities. In the fields of recruitment and selection, job analysis is important because it provides information on which to base two documents: the job description and the person specification. A written job description is the main output from the job analysis process, which the City District Government should be able to use as:

 A tool in recruitment  A tool in selection  Basis of performance management  Basis of employment contracts  A mean through district’s expectations, priorities and values are communicated to new members of staff

The second set of documentation that will be derived from the job analysis is the person specification. Here the emphasis is not on what the job involves but on the attributes that are required of someone aspiring to fill the role. Effectively it will list the criteria the district can use in short listing and electing an individual to fill the job concerned. By the end of this activity City District Government will be able to:

 Understand the content of each job  Look at how each job fits into the City District Government, what is its purpose and the skills and personality traits required carrying it out.  Develop job description for the district employees  Develop the person specification  Develop a base line for recruitment and selection  Identify training needs  Set performance targets

Faisalabad district has 34,706 sanctioned staffs with 28,976 filled posts. There are total of 534 designations in the new City District Government. The total sample size that was selected from different departments for job analysis, job description and person specification was 1,935. The activity is being administrated in 3 phases; first phase focused on EDOs, second on DOs and third targeting rest of the designations. A team of 20 enumerators have been selected from various departments (mainly Education) for the third phase. Training sessions have been conducted before the commencement of activity to ensure quality assurance and refresher courses are also planned.

A detailed consultation process was carried out to develop the pro-forma for job analysis, job description and person specification.

A standard format for the job description has been finalized and the format contains information such as the Post title (Designation), Grade (BS), Name of the present job holder & to whom the position reports to, job purpose and responsibilities. Responsibilities are divided into:  Key generic responsibilities (uniform for equal designations) delegated by the government e.g. in case of EDOs responsibilities according to PLGO 2001, notifications from Povincial Government, City District Corporate Plan and department strategic operational plan (SOP).  Key specific responsibilities, specific to that particular job – highlighted by the person

The person specification format set out under a standard seven point plan:

1. Attainments – education (required, preferable), professional qualification, experience; 2. General intelligence – fundamental intellectual capacity; 3. Special aptitudes – special skills 4. Interests – intellectual, practical, social; 5. Disposition - acceptability, influence over others; 6. Circumstances – domestic circumstances; 7. Physical makes up – health, physique, appearance;

After considerable brain storming, discussion, and changes, the job description and person specification of EDOs was finalized in November 2005. This exercise has taken just over 5 months to complete following a detailed job analysis process.

District Government Faisalabad 5 Strategic Policy Unit Local Governance for poverty reduction; integrated solutions for human resource development – A case of Faisalabad Each job description and person specification has been thoroughly discussed and then approved by the respective EDO. The DCO intends to get this further approved from the local elected council The City District Government is now working on a similar exercise for the rest of its employees

The Institute of Learning

Previously, The Provincial Department of Education provided training opportunities for in-service teachers. The programmes failed to cover pre-induction training, an area which is as important as in-service training if not more so. However these courses are held sporadically, poorly planned, and coordinated.

A different set of problems present themselves for teachers working in remote rural settings. At the tehsil level, no localized training services exist and teachers often find themselves being excluded because they are considered too remote and therefore are simply not invited to participate in professional development opportunities. Moreover, the District Education Department does not have the additional resources (human or financial) to organize and implement a training programme to meet the needs of teachers in Faisalabad. This appears to be beyond the department’s scope and current capacity.

As a result, the Institute of Learning (Teacher Training and Professional Development) in Faisalabad was established in September 2005 and intends to offer a range of professional development services for teachers.

The institute will meet a number of the district aims;

 In-service & pre-induction training for child centered learning in subjects of English, Science, Social Studies, Urdu and Maths. for all primary, elementary and secondary teachers in the district  Support teacher-training outreach to the remotest areas through Training Resource Centres (TRCs) which will be based in Samundari and Jaranwala tehsils with nerve centers at union council level.  Conduct research and studies on teacher training, learning-achievement, evaluations and issues related to quality learning in the district.  Management of learning at school and community level.  Foster public-private partnerships with local, regional and national education institutes and other local and foreign agencies to support education development in the district.  To share experiences and learning in the district, province and across Pakistan on its work.

The institute is to act as a hub for all activities related to learning / training in the district by federal and/or provincial agencies. This would at least ensure that resources and materials are utilized effectively which has not been the case in the past.

Figure 7: Services offered by the Institute of Learning

District Government Faisalabad 7 Strategic Policy Unit Local Governance for poverty reduction; integrated solutions for human resource development – A case of Faisalabad Capacity Development

Capacity Development of Education Department on Budget & Planning Processes

The 2004-05 district budgets was prepared with considerable difficulty and offered a steep learning opportunity for the district government. Despite valiant efforts by officers, it fell short of the quality that was necessary in a large part due to lack of technical expertise and poor facilities. Therefore, the education department could not prepare its budget (2004-2006) according to the new budget rules. However, there were a number of other issues:

 The budget was first prepared in MS Word software and then converted into an MS Excel software format. This proved to be difficult since the department did not have the correct IT skills and facilities.  Information filled on the Budget Rules 2003 forms, BDO-3, BDO-4, BDC -3, BDC-6 and ABS-4 did not tally up as errors had been made by officers completing these forms.  The information on the number of actual vacant posts in any department was not completed accurately in form BDO-3 this was then reflected in form BDC-1 in terms of expenditure.  Hence the information on form BDC1 was incorrect since officers failed to separate total and existing departmental expenditure. The DDOs and clerks were not informed of the rationale behind the need to give this information separately.  There was little understanding by the Drawing and Disbursement officers (DDOs) and Clerks on what basis the budgets should be developed, despite the budget call letter being sent out to all departments.

As a result, the CDGF decided to a hold a series of workshops to train DDOs and Clerks of the education department, in particular, to prepare the budget for 2005-06 in line with the New Budget Rules. DDOs and Clerks were invited to sit together for the first time in a training environment and understand the concept of zero-base budgeting. Whilst most other national and donor programmes have focused on training Executive District Officers (EDO) and District Officers (DOs) the CDGF initiative focused on – DDOs and Clerks - who are primarily responsible for preparing the budgets.

The workshops were implemented through selected master trainers – these were highly motivated and competent individuals, mainly, from the education department . These also acted as resource persons within the department. After a series of consultation meetings a final list of 32 master trainers were identified to implement the district wide capacity building programme. Master trainers were trained to familiarize themselves with the course content over an 8-day period. Training manuals were tailored from national programmes to meet the specific need of this district.

DDOs from the education department in all tehsils were invited to the workshops. Training course modules covered; district mission statement; budget and budget policy; the budget cycle; budget call letter; estimation of receipts; estimation of current expenditure; practical exercises in how to prepare a budget and re- appropriation and supplementary grants and finally on the PIFRA programme including the New Accounting Model. The workshops achieved the following:

 Over 700 DDOs and Clerks from the education department trained in the new budget rules process in a 6 week period  Participants were given demonstrations on how to complete the BMP 1-5 forms now a requirement of the new budgeting process.  Participants shown how to complete budget forms and given instructions in the fundamentals of budgeting, planning and provincial district finance practices.  Similarly participants were given information on budgeting and financial practices from other developing nations with a strong emphasis on setting priorities, multi-year planning and control mechanisms.  Established resource teams consisting of a facilitator; master trainer and IT specialist working with departments in tehsils. Data entry for the new budget is done by the IT specialist and the facilitator and master trainer ensure that correct information is being recorded.  In the post-training phase excel formats have been provided to departments so that problems in the previous year are not repeated. Budgets will be prepared manually by clerks and resource teams will provide the technical assistance in completing the budget

 As a result of the training programme there was an improvement in the nature of the relationship between DDOs and their Clerks and there his every hope that the new budget will be prepared with greater coordination and cooperation between the two sets of officers  Training model was not only sustainable way to develop capacity but master trainers were from Faisalabad and district government  Greater ownership of the new budget rules and processes was achieved because Clerks were invited to attend such a programme for the first time.  Attendance rate at the workshops remained at about 93% throughout the workshop.

Whole School Development

Faisalabad is actively involved in an innovative Education department programme called Whole School Development. Whole School Development (WSD) works by changing the whole environment of the school – the physical environment, the management of the school, relationships within the school and with the community and the teaching/learning environment. Elementary schools should be Child Friendly Environments in which children learn easily, enjoy their learning and have new aspirations for improving their own lives and the lives of their families. WSD has been successful in improving schools in many countries including South Africa, Gansu Province, China, Indonesia and India.

WSD works at the grass roots, locating training and resources at Union Council level and helping school and communities to locate funding, resources and improved teaching and learning resources. WSD requires the education to take place of every child in a school catchment area and works with all schools in a community, public, private and religious schools to create a supportive community for all the children in an area. The key initiators of the WSD process are the head teachers and the community. All the training is active and can be used on return to school to mobilise the school and the community.

Master Trainers are teachers or head teachers who have proven interest in training and in improving education in the District. A Tehsil team will typically, train teachers at a local venue and be involved in the support and the monitoring work in the schools. The Whole School Development programme has started in 9 Union Councils, in 3 Tehsils. Three of these are regarded as being amongst the poorest and located in the most remote of the Union Councils where the need for school development is most needed. On the basis of feedback and planning the scale up to the whole District will take place from late 2006.

Whole School Development Training for head teachers and School Council members takes place at 2 week intervals to allow time for in-school activity. Head teachers and Community Members return to school and undertake the stakeholder visioning and analysis activities.

Student’s views are also be taken into account through verbal, written and art work of what they think their school should be like. A District Art Competition on the subject of ‘My Dream School’ will take place later in the year.

The key modules for the training programmes under the Whole School Development Programme is shown in Figure 8.

Figure 8: Key modules for the training programmes under the Whole School Development Programme

MODULE 6: PROFESSIONAL Module 1: HT & SMC member CommunityDEVELOPMENT Training with. HT 1-3  Orientation and Vision for the • Orientation and mobilisation school • Moduleactivity 1 including PD: Changing village the mapping, Module 2: HT & SMC member classroomhousehold environment surveys, checking  School Development Planning EMIS. Module 2 PD: How children learn Module 3: HT & SMC member • Visioning exercise  Presentation of SDP • ModuleWSD School 3 PD: development Activity based plan • School Council  Management of Change learning and lesson planning Module 4: HT • Enrolment, support and bridging to  Creating a Child Friendly Learning • Moduleschool for 4 PD:out ofClassroom school children. UrduEnvironment and English in T.Training the school management - multi-grade classes, Module 5: HT large classes and assessment 2 DistrictA training Government course for Faisalabadteachers of Urdu Strategic Administration Policy Unit and Finance and English in Grades 1-8 • Module 5 PD: Questioning and interactive learning • Module 6 PD: Differentiation and Local Governance for poverty reduction; integrated solutions for human resource development – A case of Faisalabad

Later stages: Tehsil courses for subject content on school demand basis. Citizen Focus

Communication and Education Department

A District wide communication strategy is playing a very important role in driving the reform programme currently underway by the City District Government. Effective communication can be a powerful tool in trying to improve accountability and strengthening state-society relations. City District Government Faisalabad is using modern methods to raise the awareness levels of its community. Raising awareness on social issues is very important to help developing a modern society. More than 50 percent of the population of City District lives in rural areas of the district. The official literacy rate of the district is not very good at 51.9% and this percentage, further decreases in the rural areas of the district. There is also a great disparity in the literacy rates of the male and females and the percentage of disparity is more in the rural areas.

City District Government Faisalabad is launching a series of street theatre programmes to raise public awareness of social issues. One key theme of these programmes is the importance of education and especially the education of females. As skit shows are easily understandable, enjoyable and in the local language (Punjabi), participation levels from the communities has been very high.

Role of CCBs in Education Sector

The department is keen to involve community for the improvement of education. Therefore, CCBs are an integral part of the Whole School Development Programme being implemented by the department. Education is the second largest component after water courses in terms of investment made by the CCBs. The district government has released Rs. 2.791 million against 52 projects as its 80 percent share. The sectoral analysis reveals that 12 CCBs projects (24%) were under taken by the CCBs in education sector and district government has provided Rs. 6.249 million against these projects (Figure-9). These projects aim at improving physical infrastructure in the government schools such as construction of boundary walls, classrooms, toilets etc.

Figure-9: Sectoral Analysis of CCBs Projects

Agriculture 34(66%)

Education 12 ( 24%) Health 1(2%)

Roads 4( 8%)

Community interaction strategy in implementing Whole School Development (WSD) Model

The following is a typical process followed in implementing the Whole School Development programme in Faisalabad: District Government Faisalabad 3 Strategic Policy Unit Local Governance for poverty reduction; integrated solutions for human resource development – A case of Faisalabad

Introductory Visit: First of all WSD team paid an introductory visit to the selected Union Councils (UCs). The villages and schools of the UCs are visited. Head teachers are informed officially through concerned AEO/DDEO. Elected representatives of the UCs especially Nazims are contacted. School profile (EMIS code, enrolment, working staff, physical facilities, SC and community participation record, school’s problems, learning situation) is collected and discussed (school wise).

Common issues generated during WSD: Most of the teachers complained against Government decision of banning corporal punishment. They also raised the issue of non availability of physical facilities like class rooms, boundry wall, toilets; furniture etc. teachers also blame parents for not paying proper attention in their children education. Parents are of the view that they are busy in providing bread and butter to their offspring, and it is very difficult for them to spare some extra time to look after children education affairs, it’s the duty of schools, teachers and the government itself.

Community Mobilization: Three days community mobilization sessions are arranged in the UCs.Head teachers are asked to coordinate these meetings. in these sessions parents, teachers, elected representatives, SC members and influential community members are invited to participate. All the participants are sensitized on the child situation and schools problems (physical condition and learning situation) are discussed. Role of all stakeholders in the creation of child friendly school environment and to consider school as a part of society is discussed. These sessions are arranged in each school of the UC.

Head Teachers training for the preparation of the School Development Plan (SDP): Three days head teachers training workshop is conducted in the UCs. On the first day all the head teachers of the UCs schools are invited at the center schools. They are sensitized on the child situation and their role for the improvements of this situation. SDP Performa is discussed with them. The following day, all the head teachers, normally, prepare a SDP of their respective school with the help of the School Council and other community members. The WSD team visits all the schools to assist head teachers in the preparation of the SDP. On the third day, all the head teachers once again gather at the center school, where the SDP of each school is discussed and finalized - the head teachers normally give a presentation on their SDP.

Training of Teachers (TOT): Three days teacher training workshop is organized at a center school of the UC, where teachers from all the local schools participate. The objectives include:

 Understanding cooperative learning  To understand the five basic pillars of co-operative learning  To prepare a basic lesson plan and implement it  To feel their new role as friends of children and co-learners

Professional Development Training (PDT) After the TOT the potential/lead teachers are identified for further professional development training at the Institute of Learning (IOL). This will typically, include professional issues (Five pillars of Cooperative Learning, Lesson Planning, Multi grade teaching, Group Work, supplementary readers and questioning etc.) as well as specific subject-wise training covering all the five subjects up to primary level (Mathematics, Science, Social Studies & languages (English & Urdu).

General Objectives of the PDT Workshop: The participants will be able to; a) Develop interest in children and their learning b) Be friends and co-learners of children c) Be agents of change in their spheres of influence d) Take classroom situation as an extension of society e) Be autonomous practitioners of cooperative learning

Specific Objectives of the Workshop: The participants will able to; a) Plan, implement and evaluate cooperative learning

District Government Faisalabad 4 Strategic Policy Unit Local Governance for poverty reduction; integrated solutions for human resource development – A case of Faisalabad b) Plan lessons for various concepts of primary classes in Science, languages, Social Studies and Mathematics c) Demonstrate / explain the spirit essential for cooperative learning d) Generate learning process with minimum resources e) Understand role of gender equity in social development

The details of the training shown in Table-1

Table 1:Union Council Wise WSD Progress (to date) Sr. U.C Total No. of HTT & SDP Training of Teachers Professional Development Training No. No. Enrollment Teachers 1 56 1968 49 School Development Plan has been 32 teachers have been trained in three 5 teachers were selected for PDT at IOL prepared in all 14 schools of Union days training work shop at G.P/S 352 from 12/09/05 to 24/09/05. Council from 05/09/05 to 07/09/05 at. GB. From08/09/05 to 10/09/05. Central school GPS 352/GB 2 94 2237 69 School Development Plan has been 33 teachers have been trained in three 7 teachers were selected for PDT at IOL prepared in all 14 schools of Union days training work shop at GGES 549 from 12/09/05 to 24/09/05. Council from 05/09/05 to 07/09/05 at. GB From08/09/05 to 10/09/05. Central school GPS 352/GB 3 176 2268 41 School Development Plan has been 41 teachers have been trained in three 3 teachers were selected for PDT at IOL prepared in all 08 schools of Union days training work shop at from 12/09/05 to 24/09/05.. Council from 05/09/05 to 07/09/05 at. GGHS 199/RB From08/09/05 to Central school GPS 352/GB. 10/09/05.

4 68 3041 School Development Plan has been 53 teachers have been trained in three 8 Teachers have been identified for further prepared in all 13 schools of Union days training work shop at Professional Development Training at IOL Council from 02/01/06 to 04/01/06 at. GHSS Satiana From 05/01/06 to from 16/01/06 to 28/01/06. Central school GPS 39/GB. 07/01/06.

5 126 2247 63 School Development Plan has been 40 teachers have been trained in three 5 Teachers have been identified for further prepared in all 19 schools of Union days training work shop at Professional Development Training at IOL Council from 02/01/06 to 04/01/06 at. GGES 437/GB Karol From 05/01/06 from 16/01/06 to 28/01/06 Central school GGES to 07/01/06. 437/GB Karol. 6 192 1971 56 School Development Plan has been 30 teachers have been trained in three 5 Teachers have been identified for further prepared in all 5 schools of Union days training work shop at Professional Development Training at IOL Council from 02/01/06 to 04/01/06 at G.Boys.Model E/S 120 JB. From from 16/01/06 to 28/01/06 G.Boys.Model E/S 120 JB. 05/01/06 to 07/01/06.

District Government Faisalabad 6 Strategic Policy Unit Local Governance for poverty reduction; integrated solutions for human resource development – A case of Faisalabad Information Systems

Financial Management Information Systems (FMIS)

Establishing financial systems has been very important. Over the last 10 months, the district has developed a very simple Financial Management Information System, which is generating regular, accurate and up-to- date information for all the departments including the Education department. Departmental expenditures, development and non-development expenditures are now available where previously, these consolidated monthly statements were not accessible. The Education department is now in a position to maintain up-to- date financial information on a month-by-month basis. The Education Department can now plan more effectively and advise other government departments with greater verve and confidence knowing that accurate and timely information is available on the districts financial resources. The next step that the EDO wants to work towards is to encourage Deputy District Officers at tehsil levels to produce the 2006-2007 budgets online. Figure-7 to 9 are some examples of FMIS.

Human Resource Information Systems (HRMIS)

A district wide Human Resource Management Information System (HRMIS) will soon allow the EDOs and other top management of the district to analyze data on employees in the district government. The HRMIS will be completed by the end of the year. This will become an invaluable tool for management simply because the data will become centralized and accessible through use of passwords. In the past this information would have been extremely difficult to locate and access within a short period of time. Moreover, the information systems will allow management to identify staffing gaps across the district, within department and even, down to the position of Drawing and Disbursing Officers. Previously information on the number of vacancies within the district government tended to be based on hearsay rather than the availability of real evidence. However, now the district is in a position to retrieve information quickly on exactly how many posts are vacant, filled, who is approaching retirement within the workforce etc. For the Education department, which employs the largest number of people, employee information will be disaggregated, on the basis of teaching and non- teaching staff.

Education Management Information Systems

This is still in its infancy but is able to use the PESRP database, data collected from the 2005 District wide Union Council Profiles survey and the data from the 1998 Census and represent this geographically. This allows all the decision makers to be able to see gaps. Presently, this particular information systems is being integrated into the FMIS and HRMIS, which will allow full details of ach school to be examined.

Figure 10: Data from the 1998 Census showing literacy distribution across the district being integrated with the FMIS and HRMIS of each school (Information systems at development stage)

District Government Faisalabad 8 Strategic Policy Unit Local Governance for poverty reduction; integrated solutions for human resource development – A case of Faisalabad Conclusion

If local governments like Faisalabad are to actively assist in poverty reduction through reforms of essential service sectors like Education, then more clarity and direction as well as key policy changes need to be provided from the Provincial government and institutions like the National Reconstruction Bureau (NRB) on issues like:

 Degree of autonomy for departmental restructuring  Complete decentralization of employee resourcing (recruitment and selection) and employee reward (salary structures, pay rises against performance).  There is not sufficient funds generated at the local level (as allowed for in the LGO 2001) to invest in Education programmes at the district level. At the moment the district collect taxes on behalf of the Provincial and Federal governments but is not allowed to keep any percentages. This needs to be changed.  Provincial tied vertical grants are at the moment very important especially in the absence of any real local budgets being available for Education. However, the mechanisms of how these funds are utilized needs to be revisited. At the moment, EDO Education has very little say in how or where funds like PESRP are used.  Employee Motivation – in a recent survey of 27,000 district employees, to understand what non- financial measures motive district employees, it was discovered that a staggering 70% believe that the salaries are paid by the Provincial government and loyalties still lie with the Provincial government rather than with the district. This has to change if, reforms are really going to work at the district level and serious work

It is still too early to assess if there is sufficient evidence to suggest that Faisalabad district, through its reforms, will be able to reduce poverty through Education but it appears to be moving in the right direction.

PRESENTATION

Syed Mohammed Khatib Alam

4) Name: Najma Siddique

2. Empowering rural women through providing informal education

Key Debate/ Issues raised by each Presenter: and the Q&A Session:

District Government Faisalabad 9 Strategic Policy Unit Local Governance for poverty reduction; integrated solutions for human resource development – A case of Faisalabad 1.While discussing Human Capital and Community Participation Mr. Haris Gazdar underlined the shifting of paradigm from state owned/governed education versus public sector initiatives for the improvement in the education system. Both qualitative and quantitative indicators show a failure of the system of education. Economic approach towards Education increased individual and household demand for education over the past few years. However education has been in deficit due to low quality of the supply (education. The situation has invited private sector, which also faces the dilemmas like contours of language, debate of curriculum and political instability and an authoritarian State.

Mr. Haris Gazdar says that the worth of human capital directly proportion to education. So education is main motivation of government to increase human capital. However education in the country has been suffering quantitatively as well as qualitatively. For example targets for year 1965, 1986 and 2000 were 40%, 49% and 75 % respectively which couldn’t achieved. In Pakistan education system, the problem of languages yet to be resolved. English versus Urdu and Urdu versus vernacular is still a big problem which undermines education qualitatively. Different type of education, authoritarian state, low priority of policy makers for education and corruption effect universal education in Pakistan.

Question 1: Pakistan religious extremists and literate people miss connecting role; what is solution? Question 2: Can Qurran reading promote universal literacy in Pakistan as Bible did in Sweden? Question 3: What kind of policy is needed to increase community construction in Pakistan? Question 4: What about the particular class who ignored by hi-fi education system?

Answer1: We have unresolved issues and we avoid to debate. Elite of the country thinks that Pakistan is very fragile country and if the debate is allowed it would harm it. Answer 2: Bible increased universal literacy in Sweden in 19th century while today needs and circumstances are different. Answer 3: Stop segmentation of school system in the country. Answer 4: It is fundamental problem, difficult and conflicting issue in Pakistan. The notion of community is parochially linked with identity here.

2.Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper (PRSP) places economic growth, investment on human capital, devolution and fiscal decentralization high on agenda. While acknowledging the education the most important factor distinguishing the poor from the non-poor PRSP commits only 2.5 % of GDP, lowest than all other South Asian Countries. S-PRSP ignores the equity factor in education sector. There is no reference to a commitment to promote equity and no specification for the provision of the revenues for financing. The issues of technical, management and infrastructural aspects are not planned in S-PRSP whereas present capacity of the system has not been taken into account. There are schools with children but without facility and vise versa.

Mr. Naveed Ahmed Sheikh was 2nd speaker who sheds light on Local Governance for Poverty Reduction. Poverty Reduction Strategy of Pakistan (PRSP) is much chanting slogan of the existing government. Integration of communities, devolution to the grassroots level, enhancement of economic growth and investment in human capital are main goals so PRSP. In the year 2005 Pakistan couldn’t achieved the targets drawn under PRSP. Gender mainstreaming is still a dream. In the education sector the gap is 17 percent. Education for All and Million Development Goals are attached with true decentralization program.

Question 1: What about teachers absenteeism in school of Sind? Question 2: Is the budget is released on time in Sind? Question 3: Main reason of schools closer in Sind?

District Government Faisalabad 10 Strategic Policy Unit Local Governance for poverty reduction; integrated solutions for human resource development – A case of Faisalabad Question 4: Do all SMCs work in Sind?

Answer 1: It is low priority; SMCs are motivated to make sure presence of teachers in school, however, they don’t have power to take any action against teachers who remain absent from the schools. Answer 2: The budget is released in two installments every year. Answer 3: Since 1999, there is ban on school’s teachers recruitment in Sind. Answer 4: Not all but most of them. Some communities do very good job.

3. S. Muhammad Khateeb Alam The district government Faisalabad is pursuing a reform agenda in the local governance for sustained poverty reduction through improved service delivery. Considering poverty reduction being multi-facet for which all stakeholders have to play their role, the district government has developed’corporate governance plan’. This Corporate Plan focuses on Fiscal responsibility; Citizen focus; Organizational improvement; Capacity development and information management system. The District Government believes that change at the corporate level can only become effective if all the departments engaged in service delivery perform. In Faisalabd a consultative exercise with various stakeholders was carried out for the situational analysis to define the service areas, objectives, activities to be followed in next two years.

S. Muhammad Khateeb Alam elaborates on local governance for poverty reduction. He works on it in District Faisalabad. According to him education is a key component in the district government and the program is fiscally proven. However, capacity building is a big problem. Furthermore, there are two many hurdles in education projects. Too limited autonomy for department reconstruction and limited role of district government to make the teachers accountable, are the main issues.

Question 1: Are there good institutions of learning in Faisalabad? Question 2: What is sustainability chances in the program of Faisalabad?

Answer 1: Yes; there are. The district government focuses the department of education. Answer 2: In the last 6 or 7 months, we have three political leaders and all of them are very cooperative and support our program.

4. Najma Sadique According to the presenter the low literacy rate and high drop out are correlated with the irrelevance of the text that is being taught at various schools especially located at rural areas in Pakistan. The paper covered the project where female associated with agriculture would be taught and provided with the skills comprised upon skills to follow instructions in their day-to-day work, basic calculation, labor laws, rights and democracy.

Empowering women in farming was topic of Najma Sadique. She mentions that the existing education doesn’t have relevancy with the people environment. Employers like as much literacy or education for their employees which just help to increase their production otherwise they don’t like educated workers. The government is also not very much serious to provide qualitative education to the people. A participant supported her and said that one he had written letters to all political parties of the country to disclose their respective policies regarding education. However none of them responded him.

Question 1: What about feudal system in Pakistan while India has been moving from it? Question 2: Does poverty reduction in Pakistan relate with your education program? Answer 1: It is true that India moved from feudal system. Literacy cum income generating schemes plugging into global market.

District Government Faisalabad 11 Strategic Policy Unit Local Governance for poverty reduction; integrated solutions for human resource development – A case of Faisalabad Answer 2: We don’t believe on the government sincerity in its policies, however civil society have to continue their struggle.

Key Learning’s: 1.Improved quality of education reduces the drop out rates; increased enrolment at the primary level education resultantly reduces poverty. Community Construction/ community participation can improve the education and the answer the problems related to poverty and economy as well. 2. Government has failed to find alternative solutions to vertical programs. Instead of using the conditional and tied grants to promote PRSP goals and Sector Wide Approach Federal and Provincial level governments are unrelenting on vertical programs, which miss the “subsidiary principle” and fail to answer the local differences and challenges. There should be completion of decentralization of administrative powers to local governments as envisioned in LGO. Constitution of incentive/technical support programs for good/bad governance and setting up obligatory function/minimum service standers for local governments can also improve the system. 3. Collaboration with various local, national and international development partners can help in strengthening decentralization local government in Faisalabad but anywhere in the country. 4. Using education, relevant to the learner’s environment and culture, as a tool to empower poor women living in rural areas of Pakistan. B. Making the curriculum relevant to the reader’s day-to-day life can improve the quality of education and thus can reduce illiteracy and drop out rate in the country.

District Government Faisalabad 12 Strategic Policy Unit