PESHAWAR: With over hundred per cent increase in the spending on Higher Education in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) the present government is determined to promote higher education and research in the province.
A report of Higher Education Commission (HEC) stated that the budget allocation for four years stands at Rs 22.80254 billion whereas previously, the budget allocation for the initial four years was Rs 10.347652 billion.
The official report stated that the budget utilization remained 104 per cent in 2013-14, 103 per cent in 2014-15 and 111 per cent in 2015-16. Similarly, promoting higher education in the province the Provincial Government has upgraded Havelian Campus to full fledge Hazara University whereas provisions have been made in the ADP 2016-17 to upgrade Chitral and Buner campuses to full fledge universities.
Moreover, the promotion of gender specific education, two colleges for home economics have been established in the Nowshera and Abbottabad and Women University has been established in Swabi and the establishment of another approved for Mardan.
In order to promote Research in Universities of KP, 199 M.Phill and 120 PhD students were provided financial assistance under the faculty development programme during the past three years, the report reads.
It is also pertinent to mention here that the current government has initiated BS programmes in various colleges for which Rs 424 million have been spent in recruiting teachers. Additionally, Rs 200 million have been released in the ADP 2015-16 for the same purpose.
Furthermore, 39 new colleges have been established in the province whereas 41 colleges are currently under construction. These colleges have been constructed after conducting feasibility studies ensuring uniform access to higher education in the province.
The report also claimed that Rs 81 million have been spent during the last three years for In-Service and Pre-Service training of teachers and more than 835 teachers have been trained by the Higher Education Teachers Training Academy (HETTA).
As part of bringing teaching methods in line with modern requirements, the government has established eight digital laboratories and three are included in the 2016-17 ADP.
According to report, the digital laboratories will help students to perform experiments using computer software. It will help them to identify the ratio of chemicals needed in various experiments.
An official of HEC claimed that the software will not only help students in avoiding mistakes generally committed during experimentation but will also help them in saving revenue by cutting down the use of live chemicals.
The ADP for 2016-17 also includes establishment of digital libraries which will help students in accessing books, latest learning material and libraries throughout the world.
The libraries will be established with the support of Higher Education Commission who has access to renowned libraries throughout the world. The facility will be extended to three Government colleges in the Province.
Additionally, three public libraries have been established in Kohat, Lakki Marwat and Chitral whereas work on libraries in Manshera, Charsadda, Buner and Ghazi is in progress. Around Rs 125 million have been provided for development of Public Libraries and Archives and Rs 30 million have been allocated for Scanning, Digitalization and Computerization of Public Libraries.
Talking to Daily Times Advisor to Chief Minister for Higher Education, Archives, Libraries, information & Public Relations Mushtaq Ahmad Ghani claimed that Rs 200 million have been spent on renovation of 132 colleges whereas Rs 87 million have been provided to 14 different colleges for providing clean water supply and construction of boundary walls.
He said that the promotion of higher education in the province has taken the center stage at the priority of PTI priority landscape. Moreover, Rs 670 million has been released to various colleges for purchase of computers, furniture, lab equipment and books for libraries.