The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf led Khyber Pakhtunkhwa coalition government in its fifth annual budget has allocated Rs 127.910 billion for education sector in the fiscal budget 2017-18, in which Rs 115.920 billion reserved for primary and secondary while Rs 119.900 million for higher education by making a considerable 18 percent increase against the outgoing year.
Finance Minister Muzaffar Sayed in his budget speech said that education provides a foundation for human development, adding the Government of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa is deeply committed to transform the public education system across the province. He said that provincial government is striving hard to provide better education to its people, constructing primary, middle and high schools, as to extend and ensure a uniform education policy, across the province.
The budgetary document stated that fundamental focus is on providing access to education, creating a gender balance and fulfilling the infrastructural requirements of existing institutions including staff, labs, equipment, furniture, teachers training. Besides, provision of safe drinking water, construction of additional rooms, repair and maintenance work, establishment of examination halls, library books in schools, and installation of solar system and provision of transport facilities, security to public sector colleges along-with teachers' training sessions in various disciplines, and rehabilitation of playgrounds through college council, across the province.
The policy priorities for financial year 2017-18 is striving to achieve SDGs by 2030, achieving inclusive and quality education for all, and to ensure that all girls and boys complete free primary and secondary schooling by 2030.
Similarly, in the fiscal budget a huge chunk of Rs 14 billion reserved for primary and elementary education to be spent on total 77 projects, in which Rs 12650 million for ongoing 60 projects while Rs 1.350 billion for 17 new projects, the Minister said, adding emphasis is being laid on the education sector and decided to convert 100 Masjid Maktab schools to primary schools, and build 410 new primary schools for girls and boys on requirement basis, across the province.
Besides, the establishment of Model Schools in district Karak, Haripur, Charsadda, Hangu and Batgram, the Minister said, adding 100 primary schools for boys and girls would be upgraded to middle, 100 middle school to high level and 100 high schools to higher secondary school level across the province. The Finance Minister in his budget speech also stated that recruitment of 14,000 new teachers will be made possible, besides a door-to-door survey will be conducted to know about out-of-school children. Those female teachers performing duties in the far-flung areas would be given special allowance, while special rewards will also be given to teachers, headmasters, and principals on performance basis, he maintained.
Likewise, a sum of Rs 6.320 billion have allocated for higher education's 65 projects in which Rs 3.996 billion for ongoing projects, while Rs 2.320 billion for new projects in the fiscal budget 2017-18. The budget targets include the categorisation of seminar halls in the directorate of Achieves, repairmen of the existing public libraries in the province, initiating BS 4-year program in 62 colleges, and the capacity enhancement of 4-year Teacher Engagement Programme in the province. Similarly, M Phil and PhD programme for college lecturers through faculty development support programme, besides training sessions for lecturers of various colleges, and establishment of new public sector colleges on requirement basis, the establishment of a state-of-the-art Science and Technology department (Fakhsholay) with the support of Pak-Austria, at a cost of Rs 8.200 billion in Kp also included, said the budget document.
The Minister stated in the budget documents that provincial government will also establish a Quality Assurance Cell (QAC) to ascertain the performance of all public and private universities in the province. The main focus of new projects is to promote the education at the primary level, fulfill the infrastructural requirements of existing institutions including staff, equipment, furniture, teachers training and essential repairs, said the budgetary document.
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