Daily Times

LAHORE: A quarterly stocktakes meeting for the analysis of the current situation of health and education sector in Punjab was held at Chief Minister House on Thursday.

Acclaimed Educationist and Delivery Associate Managing Partner Sir Michael Barber presented the facts and figures regarding the overall progress made by the provincial government in the two sectors.

Sir Barber said that the government schools in Punjab saw an overwhelming rise of 6.2 percent in enrolment. The dignitary added that 11.4 million children were tagged with the help of Punjab Information Technology Board (PITB) to keep track of the activities.

Praising the provincial government’s performance during its tenure, Barber said that 99.6 percent public schools now have 4 teachers or more, while the total number of teachers in government sector exceeds a total of 300,000.

The educationist also lauded the performance of Pakistan Education Foundation (PEF) – a public-private partnership to ensure provision of education to the country’s underprivileged – Barber said: “PEF educates more students than Denmark, Sweden and government schools in the province.”

Speaking on occasion via video-link, Punjab Chief Minister Shehbaz Sharif praised the performance of the respective authorities and took pride in the progress that the education sector had shown on various accounts.

Shehbaz added that he had himself learnt a lot from the advancements in technology, while he also vowed to empower the country’s youth through education.

Answering a question regarding the measures taken to ensure upgradation of the education sector, Sir Barber said that learning objectives are defined in such a way that they match international standards. Moreover, teacher training programs are also being introduced for that matter, he added.

Lauding CM Shehbaz for his efforts to improve standards of education in the country, the educationist said that he had worked with leaders from 50 countries during the past two decades, but he has not seen a leader like Shehbaz, who never takes ‘no for an answer’.

He also praised his team members from the Punjab government. “It has been absolutely fantastic working with you and it is a provide for me to you my friends,” he concluded.

The meeting was attended by Health Minister Khawaja Imran Nazir, Punjab Minister for School Education Rana Mashood, journalists, analysts and various other personalities. The quarterly meeting was the final one before the 2018 general elections.