BUDGET season is behind us — and with it the opportunity for productive conversations and comparisons centring on inter-governmental development priorities and structural reforms. In recent memory, the only time such conversations flooded the airwaves was after the KP chief minister’s visits to Lahore and Karachi some months ago. For a brief moment, comparisons between the progress achieved under the PTI’s 12-year rule in KP and the track record of parties in other provinces dominated the political discourse — from street discussions among residents to heated arguments between party leaders on national programmes. Given the divisive political slurs that normally eclipse serious political discussions, the debate on actual governance and performance was indeed a welcome change. How­ever, that is where the positivity ended. While greater insight may elude the man on the street regarding service delivery and development, the questions and responses of policymakers, elected officials and senior anchorpersons leave much to be desired. This is particularly apparent during the budget season — in the days leading up to its announcement and immediately after the document is released. It was no different this year.

For example, discussions on the education sector’s performance tended to focus on the number of new university buildings inaugurated. Elementary and secondary education were too ‘unimportant’ to even mention. This is ironic, considering that the government is constitutionally mandated to provide education to every citizen from ages five to 16. One would have hoped to see greater commentary on important aspects such as the progress made on increasing literacy........

© Dawn