Punjab School Reforms Programme is leaving a very positive impact:CM Punjab

Lahore: Punjab Chief Minister Muhammad Shahbaz Sharif has said that Punjab School Reforms Programme is leaving a very positive impact on education sector and attendance of teachers in schools has sustainably improved. He said that enrollment campaign is continuing vigorously throughout the province. He said that target of admission of 40 lakh students in schools during the campaign would be achieved and enrollment of all children of the province in schools would be ensured by 2016.

He was presiding over a meeting regarding the progress of Punjab Education School Reforms Roadmap, today. Special representative on education of British Department for International Development (DFID) Sir Michael Barber gave a detailed briefing to the meeting on Punjab Education Schools Reforms Roadmap.

Head of DFID Richard Montgomery, Provincial Minister for Education Rana Mashhood Ahmad Khan, Chief Secretary, Chairman Planning & Development, concerned secretaries and members of the Roadmap team were also present on the occasion.

Addressing the meeting, the Chief Minister said that the goal of progress and prosperity of the country can be achieved by imparting modern education to the young generation. He said that provision of resources for equipping youth with modern education and knowledge is not expenditure but useful investment in the future of the country.

He said that keeping in view this fact, Punjab government has adopted a solid policy for the uplift of education sector and huge resources are being spent for this purpose. He said that utilization of the released funds on the provision of missing facilities in schools would be ensured by the end of the current fiscal year. He said that an amount of more than seven billion rupees has been provided for the provision of missing facilities in schools across the province while funds of more than five billion rupees have been utilized so far for this purpose.

Shahbaz Sharif said that for the purpose of promotion of quality education, more than one lakh 40 thousand teachers have been recruited on merit and in a highly transparent manner during the last five years while this process is also continuing during the current year. He said that the number of teachers in schools is being rationalized with the ratio of students.

The Chief Minister further said that administrative control of the schools of Cholistan has been handed over to Schools Department which will help in promoting education in this far-flung area. He further said that Punjab Education Foundation is playing a vital role in promotion of education and 125 new schools of south Punjab have been included in the educational programme of the Foundation.