Public confidence in govt schools restored, says CM

PESHAWAR: Chief Minister Mahmood Khan has termed access of common man to quality education an integral part of his government’s manifesto and said the government was introducing reforms alongside development projects in the sector.

Public confidence reinstated in govt schools and enrollment increased in KP due to steps taken by provincial govt, he said.

In a statement issued from Chief Minister’s Secretariat, Mr Khan said the government was taking result-oriented steps in every sector with special focus on elementary and secondary education which has improved the education standards at elementary level, adding owing to these efforts public confidence had been reinstated in the public sector educational institutions. Consequently, the enrollment has increased significantly in government schools.

The chief minister said the government had taken various steps to develop education system, including establishment of new schools, rehabilitation and improvement of existing schools, merit-based recruitment of teachers, provision of free textbooks to students, provision of scholarships to female students to enhance literacy rates, establishment of education monitoring authority, launching of second shift in public schools and hiring of school leaders.

A total of 110 development projects, including 79 ongoing and 31 new, in the Elementary and Secondary Education sector have been reflected in the current Provincial Annual Development Program with an estimated cost of over Rs20 billion.

These projects also include development schemes of newly merged districts having an estimated cost of around Rs8 billion. Moreover, during the last four years, various steps had been taken in the Elementary and Secondary Education sector, including regularization of 58,000 teachers, establishment of 141 schools, upgradation of 174 schools, reconstruction of 89 schools, standardization of 90 schools, provision of scholarships to 2.1 million girls, provision of furniture to 68141 units, provision of free textbooks and school bags to 631,376 students, construction of 400 additional class rooms and renovation of 1585 class rooms in public sector schools, establishment of cadet collage Spinkai South Waziristan and many more.