‘KP govt to allocate more funds for higher education’

PESHAWAR: A senior official said here on Saturday that the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government invested approximately Rs53 billion in the higher education sector during the last five years and it is intending to allocate more funds to improve the quality of higher education in the province.
Secretary Higher Education Department, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Muhammad Ali Shahzada said this while speaking at the inaugural ceremony of the 3rd annual three-day Medical Education and Research Conference at the Khyber Medical University.
“To share knowledge and improve its quality is our hope for a healthier Pakistan of tomorrow. The zeal to learn and learn better can bring smile on face of a dying child somewhere around us,” he said.
He said their sincere efforts were meant to provide an atmosphere conducive to the growth of intellect and it can guarantee creativity and innovation. “Our collective determination is to join hands to improve the extent and worth of treasure of our knowledge,” he added.
Principals of public and private medical and dental colleges, faculty, medical educationists, experts and others were also present on the occasion. “There is a resolve and commitment at the level of the government to improve our outlook in all spheres of public service delivery,” the secretary higher education said.
In the context of higher education in general, he said the government is sensitive and actively engaged to improve quality of education by focusing on capacity building of teaching faculty, objectivity in making use of available human resources, avenues for local and foreign scholarships and improving quality of knowledge.
He said the government was committed to meeting requirements of the education sector and preserving autonomy of universities for the sake of better education. “However, we are not oblivious to our responsibility in bringing about improvement in all aspects of university education, including its governance structures,” the secretary education said.
Earlier, Prof Dr Mohammad Hafizullah, vice chancellor KMU, said the university is the first public sector medical varsity of the province providing quality education services and a modern era of research culture. He said it is an honour that the university is holding the 3rd international conference on medical education and research.