School Specific Budget (SSB) marks a significant shift from the highly-centralised bureaucratic control of schools' budget towards devolving limited financial authority to in-charge of educational institutions (headmasters/principals) at school level. For decades, public schools have suffered from lack of basic facilities, discouraging parents from sending their children to school. The situation worsened after education was declared free and compulsory from primary to secondary level, as government schools were barred from charging even a nominal fee that had traditionally helped meet everyday needs such as purchasing chalks and duster, repainting blackboards or repairing desks, chairs and ceiling fans. As a result, schools became dependent on an over-centralised system in which even minor purchases required multiple approvals, cumbersome procurement procedures and lengthy compliance requirements.

This excessive centralisation stripped schools of the ability to maintain a function and welcoming learning environment. Many schools gradually fell into neglect, with crumbling infrastructure and poorly-maintained classrooms becoming a visible symbol of administrative paralysis. Unsurprisingly, such conditions have contributed to Sindh's deepening education crisis. According to the latest report of Pakistan Economic Survey, around 7.8 million children in the province remain out of school - including nearly 1.2 million dropouts and another 6.6 million who have never entered a classroom.

Given the scale and depth of Sindh's education crisis, a dramatic turnaround within the remaining months of the current fiscal year is neither realistic nor administratively feasible. Yet, the........

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