‘Govt policies bringing about revolution in education sector’

SIALKOT: Punjab Education Minister Rana Mashhood Ahmed Khan has said that the government is committed to improve quality of education through encouraging talented students and their teachers.

Addressing a meeting at the Sialkot Chamber of Commerce and Industry here on Saturday, he said that effective policies of the government were helping a lot in bring about a revolution in education sector in the province. The minister said that the Punjab government had given 4,300 more schools to well-reputed organisations across the province under the public-private partnership. He said that the Punjab government was actively monitoring the performance of all 53,000 schools in Punjab.

He said that the Punjab government had already approved setting up of a full-fledged university namely the University of Sialkot in the city. He announced establishing a Sports School in Sialkot with Rs 200 million for promotion of sports among the children. He said that the Punjab government was committed to provide healthy minds and healthy life to the children under the leadership of Punjab Chief Minister Muhammad Shahbaz Sharif.

He said that the Punjab government had given due respect to the brilliant students and their teachers by giving them laptops, special cash prizes and awards.

He also stressed the need for capacity-building of teachers. The minister added that the Punjab government would soon launch the Punjab Schools Sports Programme for promotion of sports at school level besides hunting sports talent in schools across the province. He said that the PML-N government would increase the prevailing education budget from Rs 345 billion to Rs 370 billion in the next financial budget of Punjab after winning the 2018 general elections.

Rana Mashhood also announced establishment of an international standard Technology Institute at Sialkot and said that the Sialkot district had got ninth position in Punjab regarding improvement in attendance of teachers at the government schools. He said that Sialkot was one of the most important districts of Punjab.

The minister said that the Punjab government was also establishing a technology university in Lahore in collaboration with China. He claimed that the use of unfair means in examinations had almost been eliminated across the province. He said that now 15 million children were getting education at government schools in the province, adding that the government had recruited 5 million teachers at all government schools in the province. He said that the Punjab government would soon organise a 'Rising Punjab Sports Event to encourage talented youth at every level. The provincial minister gave 20 different government schools under the control of the Sialkot Chamber of Commerce and Industry. MPAs Chaudhry Tariq Akhtar Subhani, M Asif Bajwa, Ch Mohsin Ashraf, Deputy Commissioner Dr Farrukh Naveed, Fazal Jilani, Khawar Khawaja, Abdul Waheed and Abid Ahmed Khawaja also attended the meeting.