Govt introducing reforms in education, says CM

PESHAWAR Chief Minister Mahmood Khan on Sunday said his government was introducing reforms in the education sector and providing facilities to students at their doorstep.

In a statement, he said the government was taking result-oriented steps with special focus on elementary education to improve its standard.

Mahmood Khan said confidence had been restored in the public sector educational institutions owing to the efforts made by the government, which had boosted enrollment at state-run schools.

The chief minister said the government had taken various steps to develop the education system by establishing new schools and improving the existing ones.

He said the teachers were recruited on merit while free textbooks and scholarships provided to students, particularly girls to enhance literacy rates.

He said the government had established the Education Monitoring Authority and launched the second shift at the public sector schools to boost enrollment.

It is pertinent to mention here that a total of 110 development projects including 79 ongoing and 31 new ones, of Elementary and Secondary Education have been reflected in the current Annual Development Programme at an estimated cost of over Rs20

billion.

These projects also included development schemes of newly merged districts having an estimated cost of around Rs8 billion.

Around 58,000 teachers were recruited and 141 schools were established while 174 schools were upgraded over the last four years.

During the same period, 89 schools were reconstructed while scholarships were provided to 2.1 million girls. Furniture was provided to 68,141 units, free textbooks and school bags were provided to 631,376 students.

Around 400 additional classrooms were constructed and 1,585 were renovated in public sector schools.