Abstract:
The purpose of this research is to undertake an evaluation of the role of increased fiscal transfers to the Punjab through the 7th NFC Award in improving selected basic social indicators in public education at the primary level. The component of primary education focused upon comprises the stand-alone schools in the primary sector.
The significant increase in fiscal transfers due to an enlarged divisible pool has enabled provincial governments to devote more resources to development in the social sectors which have remained traditionally under resourced. With increased resources and responsibilities now available to provinces in the wake of the 7th NFC Award and the 18th Constitutional Amendment, the potential for providing and managing enhanced allocation to the social sectors has increased.
Taking into account the lackluster performance of Punjab’s public primary education sector, this study looks at the degree to which this promise of adequately providing for primary education has been actualized. Following the priorities spelt out in the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) 2030, the paper focuses on three factors that literature identifies as critical to primary level enrolment, one relating to physical facilities and two to qualitative aspects.
The funding patterns for (i) school infrastructure, (ii) female teacher induction and (iii) trained teachers in the primary education sector are investigated against the adequacy of outputs in these areas as evident from some indicators relevant to primary level gross and net enrolment in independent/ stand-alone public primary schools during the pre and post NFC periods. The cause and effect relationship is then analyzed to see what explains the perceived patterns.
