Sindh to launch 300 Digital Microschools for 300,000 out of School Children.

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 various government officials, including the education minister, Chief Secretary, Planning and Development Chairman, School Education Secretary, Finance Secretary, SEF Managing Director, and board members.

The Chief Minister approved the expansion of the Accelerated Digital Learning Program (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, Kabir informed the Chief Minister that the per-student cost in the next phase of the ADLP would be Rs2,200. Based on this information, the Chief Minister approved a budget of Rs800 million for the SEF.

The meeting was also briefed on the current state of the SEF’s operations. It was discussed in the meeting that there are one million students enrolled across 2,734 schools, 35 public schools, 223 learning centers, and 125 micro-schools. Additionally, 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.

Shah noted that the SEF has revitalized six previously non-functional public schools that lacked proper shelter through its efforts.

He highlighted that the SEF currently spends Rs16,000 per student per month, with an annual budget of Rs15,955 million, which he deemed 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.