CADD minister to begin inspection of rural area schools next week

Islamabad :Minister of State for Capital Administration and Development Division (CADD) Dr. Tariq Fazal Chaudhry will begin visits to the schools in rural areas of Islamabad from next week to check the quality and pace of work under the Prime Minister's Education Reform Programme (PMERP).

The minister said this while speaking to PMERP project director Engineer Waqas Ahamd, who called on him about the current status of civil works on the PMERP.

Work on 100 schools is under way simultaneously to provide necessary facilities to students. Dr Tariq Fazal said a sum of Rs2.74 billion was earmarked for the physical up-gradation and provision of facilities in the 422 schools of the CADD.

He said the programme would focus on the establishment of new class rooms, libraries, laboratories, washroom blocks, raising of boundary walls, provision of furniture for students and teachers, security arrangements and other civil works.

The minister said the PMERP was employing several strategies to revamp the public sector education institutions in Islamabad by improving the overall standards of teaching and learning along with providing access and creating conducive learning environment for the students.

"These strategies include the restructuring of the Federal Directorate of Education (FDE) to improve governance to strengthen ICT schools and colleges, quality interventions at ICT School with special focus on area education officers, teachers and school heads, up-gradation of physical infrastructure of 422 educational institutions, including missing facilities, and provision of 200 busses and engagement with development partners," he said.

The minister elaborated on the new initiatives undertaken by the CADD under the PMERP for the improvement of pedagogic skills among teachers. He said that new set of technical training programs have been introduced to train teachers on modern lines and new indicators have been set up to gauge their performance.

"Not only will the students be rewarded for their exceptional scores in exams but their teachers and principals will also be recognized in various administrative ways. With the recent interventions of the CADD, the quality of education in the public educational institutions of Islamabad is getting better by the day," he said.