Inquiry ordered into school buses in disrepair

Islamabad : Prime Minister Shehbaz sharif has ordered an inquiry into the buses that were provided for student transportation in Islamabad in 2017 but have been in disrepair for a long time.

He said the officials responsible for the matter should be identified for punitive action.

During a meeting called to review affairs of the education ministry, the prime minister ordered speedy establishment of Daanish Schools in underprivileged areas of Islamabad, Gilgit-Baltistan, Azad Jammu and Kashmir, and Balochistan as well as daycare centres in Islamabad's all public sector educational institutions to the convenience of women teachers.

He also issued directives for setting up e-libraries in parks and recreational areas of Islamabad with people's free access to them.

The prime minister said a strategy should be formulated to provide monthly stipends to female students in rural areas of Islamabad in a bid to increase school enrollments.

Education secretary Mohyuddin Ahmad Wani told participants that midday meals for children in Islamabad schools had been introduced, significantly improving enrolments, while 100 early childhood education centres had been established in Islamabad.

He also said modern information technology and digital training centres had been set up in Islamabad’s colleges, offering courses in data science, artificial intelligence, and blockchain technology, all linked to the country’s top universities.

"We'be set up 50 digital hubs in schools across rural Islamabad, while renovation work is underway at 167 school buildings in the capital," he said.

He said classrooms, equipped with smart boards and digital screens, had also been established in Islamabad schools, while work had begun on transitioning 100 schools in rural areas to solar energy under a public-private partnership.