PEF expands voucher scheme for students

LAHORE
Punjab Education Foundation (PEF) has launched the expansion phase 15 of public private partnership based Education Voucher Scheme (EVS) for the deserving students. This expansion phase is launched in 16 selected districts, including Faisalabad, Jhang, Sheikhupura, Kasur, Okara, Rahimyar Khan, Multan, Bahawalpur, Bahawalnagar, Khanewal, Rajanpur, Dera Ghazi Khan, Vehari, Lodhran, Muzaffargarh and Khushab.
According to a handout issued here Wednesday, the spokesman for Punjab Education Foundation said it was expected that a total of 125,000 deserving students would benefit from this expansion phase. These children will be issued vouchers by the foundation to study free of cost in PEF partners schools of choice. For this purpose, PEF has solicited applications from private sector schools and non-governmental organisations with at least three years experience. However, it is mandatory that the schools should be situated in selected Union Councils chosen for this expansion in the 16 districts.
EVS is a public private partnership based educational model in which PEF pays Rs550 per student for primary section, Rs600 for elementary and Rs700 for secondary classes; while these partner schools cannot receive any fee from the vouchered students who study free of cost. Meanwhile, PEF also provides free textbooks to these students every year. With the view to keep an eye on their academic performance, Quality Assurance Test is conducted every year by the Foundation.
The spokesman said that PEF was managing Education Voucher Scheme in all the districts of the province where a total of 321,000 deserving students were issued vouchers to study up to matric level in schools attached with this scheme. After this expansion phase, the total number of EVS beneficiaries in the Punjab will rise to 446,000, concluded the spokesman.
UVAS: The University of Veterinary and Animal Sciences (UVAS) Lahore has been ranked 10th among the top 10 universities of Pakistan in the Higher Education Commission Sports Ranking in (male & female) categories.
According to a press release issued here on Wednesday, Vice-Chancellor Prof Dr Talat Naseer Pasha appreciated the performance of the UVAS students in sports activities on HEC sports ranking. He advised students to work as a “unit” and be team players. He hoped that the UVAS would continue this pace of progress in both academic and extra-curricular activities.
workshop: Punjab Healthcare Commission organised a one-day Capacity Building Workshop on Wednesday in a local hotel at Sheikhupura for Homoeopathic practitioners on the implementation of Minimum Service Delivery Standards to improve the quality of their services and safeguarding high standards as a right of the patients.
According to a press release issued here, more than 70 Homoeopathic practitioners attended the workshop, who were imparted information on safety management, quality assurance, care of patients, management of medication and infection control.
Dr Mukhtar Ahmad Awan and Jameel Akhtar Ghori, Consultant Homoeopathic were the resource persons. Punjab Healthcare has already held 29 similar workshops, attended by a total number of 1,135 homoeopathic practitioners with the purpose to promote high quality, safe and efficient healthcare service delivery for all, the mission of the Commission.