Daily Times

ISLAMABAD: A Memorandum of Understating (MoU) signed between National Education Foundation (NEF) and three private schools of Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) for technical and vocational schools at Ministry of Federal Education and Professional Training. The MOU was signed among three selected private schools; Jehlum Valley Pioneer Public School, Ghari Dubatta, Muzaffarabad, Sir Syed Model School and College, Hattiyan Bala, and Pine Hills School and College, Kundal Shahi, Neelum Valley from AJK and NEF and the ceremony was held in the ministry premises.

While other three selected private schools form ICT; Al Farabi Islamic School and College Nilore, Al Firdaus School, Bara Kahu and Sultan Foundation, Chak Shahzad and NEF have already been done in July this year. State Minister Balighur Rehman floated the idea of the provision of vocational education in private schools of federally administrated areas including AJK, Gilgit-Baltistan (GB), FATA and ICT along with the formal education from class 6th onwards in the 18th meeting of board of governors (BoG). The need of technical education in the country compelled the minister to direct NEF and NAVTTC to start this pilot project.  The NEF, in compliance with the direction, entered into public-private partnership with 12 private schools, three from each area. According to the Education Ministry, currently, NEF is sponsoring 200 students from class 6-9 at AL Farabi School, and paying Rs 750 per child from class 6-8 and Rs 1,050 per child for class 9 as fee. The curriculum for class 6 has been drafted, while curriculum for class 7 and class 8 is near its completion. The course included in the curriculum was electrical, mobile repairing, welding, AC and refrigeration, and plumbing for boys, whereas stitching, fashion designing, beautician, and embroidery was for girls. Under this project, provision of free vocational and formal education from class 6-8, provision of Rs 800 per month per child to the school on account of fee by NEF, provision of free books, provision of partial expenditure for establishment of workshops, quarterly monitoring by NEF and third party validation etc, the minister said. The NEF can give maximum amount of Rs 22 lac to a school under this project and that school would also have to invest an equal amount, as it is a public-private partnership project, he added.