PESHAWAR: The KP government on Friday launched the initiative to provide new furniture to public sector schools that would benefit 2.4 million students in two different phases with a total cost of Rs6 billion.
Chief Minister Mahmood Khan kicked off the initiative by addressing a function, said a handout.
Provincial cabinet members Shahram Khan Tarakai, Shah Muhammad Wazir, Anwar Zeb Khan and Wazir Zada, relevant government functionaries, students and media representatives attended the event.
The chief minister directed the officials of the Elementary & Secondary Education Department to ensure the provision of new furniture to schools within the given time frame.
He said in view of the increasing demands of new schools and to address the drop-out issue effectively, the second shifts programme had been introduced in government schools and thousands of students have been enrolled there under the second shifts programme.
Mahmood Khan said the education cards scheme would soon be launched in the province to support the students from needy families to pursue education in reputed educational institutions of the country.
He termed the single national curriculum as a revolutionary step by the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf government and hoped that would help eliminate the difference between private and public sector schools, enabling the students of public sector schools to compete with those from the private sector.
“Provision of monthly stipends to girl students, e-transfer policy, smart schools programme, legislation against heavy school bags, provision of missing facilities in schools, merit-based hiring of thousands of teachers, etc are the big achievements of the provincial government to strengthen the education sector”, the chief minister added.
He directed the Higher Education Department to launch a second shift programme in all the feasible colleges of the province as well.
Mahmood Khan directed the Archaeological Department for necessary steps on a priority basis for the restoration/renovation of the historic Government Shaheed Hasnain Sharif Higher Secondary School Peshawar to its original condition.
Provincial Minister for Elementary & Secondary Education Shahram Khan Tarakai highlighted the reforms initiatives of the KP government for strengthening the education sector.