Country can achieve apogee of progress through education:Shahbaz Sharif

Lahore: Punjab Chief Minister Muhammad Shahbaz Sharif has said that, with the implementation of Punjab Education Reforms Programme Roadmap, positive and powerful results have been garnered. He said, under this programme, provision of educational facilities to schools has been ensured, while thousands of new children have been enrolled in schools to acquire education. He said education plays a central role in the development of any country. He said country can only be made prosperous and strengthened economically by imparting modern education to the younger generation. He said Punjab government has made education its top priority, and taken concrete steps, during the last five years, for its promotion.

The Chief Minister stated this during his meeting with renowned British Educationist Sir Michael Barber at Model Town, here today. Chairman Planning and Development, Javaid Aslam was also present on the occasion.

Talking on the occasion, Muhammad Shahbaz Sharif said that the country can achieve apogee of progress and prosperity only through education, which is also an effective way of eliminating terrorism, extremism and eradication of poverty. He said, only those nations have flourished in the world which has spent their resources on promotion of education, because the resources spent on education sector are indeed a useful investment. He said Punjab government has spent hefty resources on the education of younger generation, during the last five years. He said steps like provision of stipends to less-privileged students, distribution of laptops and solar lamps on merit basis, encouragement of position holders, establishment of Daanish schools and setting up of IT labs, in more than four thousand schools throughout the province, are highly laudable steps which made a highly positive impact on education sector, and become a great source of enlightenment in every nook and corner of the province. He said Punjab Education Reforms Roadmap is playing a vital role in promotion of education, under which the process of bringing new children to schools to acquire education has been successfully implemented.

Expressing his opinion, British Educationist Sir Michael Barber said that Punjab government has effectively implemented Punjab Education Reforms Roadmap. He said Muhammad Shahbaz Sharif is an education-friendly Chief Minister who has taken concrete steps for promotion of education. He said Education Reforms Roadmap has been powerfully enhanced by Punjab government, under the dynamic leadership of Muhammad Shahbaz Sharif. He said Department for International Development (DFID) UK would continue its co-operation and collaboration with the Punjab government for further promotion of education in the Punjab province.