Daily Times

LAHORE: Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif on Friday presided over a meeting, which reviewed the pace of reforms programme for improvement of education system under the Punjab Schools Reforms Roadmap.

The meeting gave approval to a number of important decisions for the promotion of quality education in the province while it was also decided in principle to upgrade the teachers of primary schools. The meeting also approved the policy for the recruitment of 42,798 new teachers.

Speaking on the occasion, Shahbaz Sharif said these teachers of primary schools would be recruited in a transparent manner through National Testing Service (NTS). He said the recruitment of new teachers would overcome the current shortage of teachers in schools, whereas recruitment of more than 43,000 teachers was also continuing separately, adding that 36,000 additional classrooms would also be constructed in schools by 2018.

“The Punjab government will construct more than 10,000 additional classrooms in schools during the current fiscal year while UK’s Department for International Development (DFID) will build more than 5,000 rooms during this period. Similarly, 5,000 schools will be converted to solar energy,” he added.

He informed the meeting that 5,000 schools showing low performance till April 2017, would be run under public-private partnership, adding that the amount of scholarships for girl students from class 6 to 10 of public sector schools of south Punjab districts had been increased to Rs 1,000.

The chief minister said right of children to quality education would be ensured and targets of the reforms programme in the education sector would be achieved at any cost. He said e-learning programme in schools would soon be started with an aim to equip the children with modern technology.

The chief minister directed the education department to ensure 100 percent enrolment of children in schools by 2018. “Punjab Education Foundation has set a target of enrolling 2.6 million children in schools,” he added.

DFID special representative Sir Michael Barber, while giving a briefing on the pace of reforms programme, said that Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif had taken comprehensive measures for the uplift of education sector. He said that there had been a substantial increase in the rate of enrolment of male and female children in government schools.

Punjab Schools Education Minister Rana Mashhood Ahmed, Chief Secretary, Punjab Education Foundation Chairman Engineer Qamarul Islam, secretaries of departments concerned, education experts, DFID representative Ben French and senior officers were also present.