PEF has designed a coherent system for its partner schools:Engineer Qamar ul Islam Raja

Lahore: The Punjab Education Foundation (PEF) is playing a leading role in achieving the targets of education-promotion programs espoused by the Punjab government. Keeping in view the educational needs of the rising number of deserving students, the free educational programs are being further extended by the foundation.

This was stated by Chairman Punjab Education Foundation, Engineer Qamar ul Islam Raja, while briefing the media men about role of PEF in promotion of free school education at the grassroots.

While maintaining that PEF is the most successful model of gratis schooling in which state provides support in shape of monthly fee and text books to the needy, he added that it has also encouraged and promoted the beneficial role of the low-cost private schools. Our public private partnership model is best in the region, he said.

PEF has designed and implemented a coherent system for its four thousand partnering schools so that they could give quality education to the 16 lakh students. We have also envisaged one-button payment system for our partners so that their monthly dues could be paid timely. E-attendance for partner school students is also being introduced after students’ information system which is a computerized repository of students’ necessary data.

He disclosed that it has been decided that, in future, all schools will be opened through ‘new school program’ of the foundation in Punjab. In the first phase, 225 such partnering schools are being planned at sites specified by the schools education department. This decision has been taken keeping in view of PEF’s cost-effectiveness and ability to best serve the ‘have-nots’ at their doorsteps. These children would have been ignored otherwise, he maintained. He also said that PEF is corruption-free as well as most-efficient in meeting targets of millennium development goals. PEF will continue to play leading role in Punjab Education sector roadmap Program, he told.

We are living in a fast-changing world; in order to prepare our students for this life of constant competitions, we need to develop self-confidence and creativity in them. It is hoped that PEF’s useful interventions will develop creative abilities in students to transform them as future leaders.