Punjab Minister for Tourism Mian Aslam Iqbal has said higher education budget of the province will be raised to Rs 13 billion from Rs 7 billion in the coming years, in order to improve the standard of education at the university level and to promote research activities. Addressing a function of Pakistan Institute of Emerging Sciences here, the minister said that after provision of free education at the matriculation level, the provincial government would also extend this facility to intermediate and degree level.
He said that raise in the literacy rate was the top most priority of the provincial government and added that Punjab had the honour to present the highest ever education budget of 43 billion.
The minister claimed that the provincial government was running an educational system in the province comprising 63,000 schools and this number was several times higher as compared to many developed countries. He informed the participants that this year the government has spent Rs 800 million over provision of free books to all primary schools, bearing a loss of Rs 450 million.
"The government, he said, despite its limited resources, is paying special attention to improving the educational environment in the province and in this regard it has taken a number of steps, including, merit-based recruitment of graduate teachers."
Besides education, the government was also focusing on development activities in other fields, he added.
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