Punjab Chief Minister Muhammad Shahbaz Sharif said that education is the only way through which the challenge of extremism can be combated. He said change in social behaviour can only be brought about with education and without empowering the youth no society can bring about change in itself. He said the youth is the hope of the future, and, providing resources to equip them with modern knowledge, is not expenditure but a useful investment.
Muhammad Shahbaz Sharif said Punjab Schools Reforms Roadmap is a revolutionary programme for which all possible resources are being provided to ensure its success. He was presiding over a high-level meeting which reviewed the progress made towards Punjab Schools Reforms Roadmap Programme at Model Town here on Thursday. Special Representative of British Department DFID Sir Michael Barbar, Debbie Palmer, Fenton Whelan of McKinsey Company, Mark Jenner, Kinley Salmon, office-bearers of World Bank Huma Waheed, Reynold Duncan, David Fourier of CIDA, Chairman Planning and Development, Secretaries of Schools, Finance, Dr Amjad Saqib, Dr Zafar Iqbal Qureshi and authorities concerned were present.
Addressing the meeting, Muhammad Shahbaz Shrif said that promotion of education is the topmost priority of the Punjab government, as the dream of national progress and prosperity cannot be realised without boosting the literacy rate. He said along with setting up new institutions, missing facilities are also being provided, on priority basis, at schools. He said, like other sectors, political-based recruitment of teachers has also been quashed in the Education Department, while over more than 70 thousand teachers have been recruited purely on the basis of merit.
He said special attention is being given to ensure presence of teachers, besides imparting quality education to the students. He said better results can be garnered by improving the efficiency of the teachers, while the teachers deployed in the districts, showing good performance, would be encouraged. The Chief Minister directed Secretary Finance to provide all required funds for Punjab Schools Reforms Roadmap and, after achieving the targets, a third-party audit should also be ensured. He informed the representatives of international institutions that, under Punjab Educational Endowment Fund, more than 40 thousand boy and girl students are continuing their academic journey. He said that voucher system is being expanded through Punjab Education Foundation. He said, due to Punjab Schools Reforms Roadmap, not only the attendance of teacher and students has been enhanced, but promotion of quality education is also being ensured. He said achievement of the objectives of the programme has to be ensured.
The Chief Minister said that as Chief Minister of Indian Province of Bihar Natish Kumar provided bicycles to girl students for going to schools, Punjab government, likewise, intends to launch a new programme in this regard. He said if the country has to achieve progress and prosperity and extremism is to be eliminated then promotion of technical education, along with traditional education, is essential.
He directed to implement the well-co-ordinated programme for capacity-building of teachers. Terming the co-operation of DFID, World Bank and CIDA as welcome, he said that these foreign institutions have taken exemplary steps for the improvement of education sector, producing positive and encouraging results. Muhammad Shahbaz Sharif said that through betterment in education sector, the nation will achieve its lost destination.
The office-bearers of DFID, World Bank, CIDA and Mckinsey greatly appreciated the efforts of the Chief Minister, and said that Punjab government has achieved significant progress in education sector under his leadership. They assured wholehearted co-operation to ensure success of education reforms programme.
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