‘Education sector uplift priority’

LAHORE

Punjab Education Minister Rana Mashhood has said overall improvement in education sector is the priority agenda of the government. 

The government is focusing on providing missing facilities and quality education. Overall infrastructure of the public sector schools is also being improved, the minister said while addressing the meeting at Punjab Education Foundation head office on Wednesday. PEF Chairman Qamar-ul-Islam Raja, Managing Director Tariq Mahmood, In charge, PSSP/ Secretary Primary Healthcare, Ali Jan Khan, Deputy Managing Directors of PEF, Director (PSSP) Sidra Saleem and others attended the meeting.

Rana Mashhood said public school support programme is an important achievement in providing free quality education to the students in the province. The first two phases of the PSSP have shown positive results, he added. It is important to note that increase in enrollment has been witnessed in PSSP partner schools, he added. This shows strong confidence of people over the educational reforms of the Punjab government. He said improvement of primary schools has also been prioritised and added that billion of rupees have been spent on the development of physical infrastructure of public sector schools. He pointed out that annual budget of school education department has been increased to Rs 315 billion and this amount is 36 per cent more than the corresponding year’s budget. The minister said one thousand monthly stipends have been given to four lakh girls in the southern districts of the province. He said IT has already been introduced in the public sector schools, adding that it is an important step towards bringing digital revolution. This will also guide the students to find their destinations by exploring new avenues in their fields, he added. 

PEF Chairman Qamar ul Islam said number of students in PEF partner schools in 36 districts has reached to 25 lakh and 45 percent of them are girls. MD Tariq Mahmood said the foundation has provided free quality education to the deserving male and female students at their doorsteps. We are the best hope of low-income families as PEF partner schools are available in their close proximity, he said and added different aspects of the PSSP have been chosen for study by different organisations to evaluate its effectiveness in meeting educational needs of the local communities at the grassroots.