Emergency in schools across Punjab

Mashhood announces Exams

LAHORE: Punjab School Education Minister Rana Mashhood Ahmad Khan on Saturday announced 'exam emergency' in the province for three months, under which, students will be given additional lectures to perform better in their examinations. 

Addressing a press conference at Punjab Curriculum and Textbook Board (PCTB), the minister said the government was also contemplating revisiting schedule for summer and winter vacation keeping in view the changing weather patterns.  

Rana Mashhood said the Punjab government had increased monthly stipend of girls enrolled in secondary level schools in districts of Southern Punjab from Rs 200 to Rs 1,000 to promote girls education in the backward areas. He added that some 400,000 girl students would benefit. 

He said the government had also planned 'School Feeding Programme' in selected four districts of South Punjab under which one time meal would be provided to the students during school hours. 

The minister said that the Punjab government had provided record funds for education promotion since 2008 and added that during the last eight years the school education budget had been enhanced 400 times while the educational budget of School Education Department had been enhanced from Rs 62 billion to Rs 315 billion.