KP chief minister for revamping of FEF on modern lines

Chief Minister Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pervez Khattak, has directed to work out the proposal for merging the colleges of Frontier Education Foundation (FEF) into the Higher Education Department (HEC) and suggest measures for revamping of FEF on modern lines by making it more effective, efficient and an autonomous body in a self-reliant and sustainable manner.
Entrusting this task to a five-member committee of the foundation, he said that Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government was in favour of maximum autonomy of educational and other institutions.
He also directed the high ups of Education Department to ensure the required and uniformed standard of education, achievement of the desired academic results and effective monitoring of colleges and other educational institutions.
He issued these directives while presiding over a meeting of the Board of Directors of FEF at CM Secretariat on Monday.
Among others who attended the meeting were included Provincial Finance Minister Muzaffar Said, Provincial General Secretary Khalid Masood, Secretary Higher Education Muhammad Ali Shehzada, Managing Director FEF Hifzur Rehman, Vice Chancellor of Engineering University Peshawar Syed Imtiaz Hussain Gillani, Chairman of CM Complaint Cell Dilroz Khan and Dr Umar Ayub.
The meeting discussed at length the one year performance, budget estimates, educational scholarships as well as financial assistance for construction of schools in private sector and other academic, administrative and financial affairs of FEF and took several decisions in this regard besides approving a financial grant of Rs 380 million to pay the arrears to the regularised employees of the foundation and save it from the budget deficit for the current fiscal.
Addressing the meeting, Chief Minister Pervez Khattak directed to increase the income limit from 25,000 to 50,000 rupees for the parents of deserving students for granting scholarship to them and also prefer issuance of loans to applicants from less developed and smaller districts for construction of school buildings.
He also directed the said committee to look into financial and administrative implications of the proposal to shift the responsibility of disbursement of such loans from FEF to Bank of Khyber.
Reiterating his commitment to equip all public sector educational institutions with all that needed for quality education, effective monitoring and smooth management, Khattak said that all teachers must be responsible and accountable for their performance. He said that all the needs of schools and colleges would be formally provided by the next provincial budget.