Punjab Chief Minister Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi has said a massive programme of school upkeep is being implemented in the province under Education Sector Reforms Programme. He was chairing a meeting held to review the pace of implementation of education reforms programme here on Tuesday.
He said that strengthening of the education sector was of prime importance for socio-economic development; hence the Punjab government has made a record increase in the educational budget. He said the teachers' training programme is successfully continuing for raising the standard of education and 180,000 teachers have been imparted training under this programme.
The chief minister said the provision of financial assistance to the private schools of backward areas under public-private partnership has yielded encouraging results regarding promotion of education. "Improvement in standard of education is helping in achieving the targets of social development and poverty alleviation. In addition to provision of educational facilities in schools, many teachers have also been recruited to make up the shortage of academic staff", he said.
Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi said that due to free education and text books up to matric level and monthly stipend to girl students, there is a tremendous increase in the number of enrolments in schools, adding the recently announced historic package of incentives for teachers will result in reviving their dignity and respect in the society as well as promotion of education.
He also said that quality education is being provided in the province under private-public partnership, adding that schemes of financial assistance to the students of private sector educational institutions in the backward areas have lessened financial burden on poor students as well as helped in uplifting education sector.
He said the Punjab Education Foundation is playing an active role in promoting educational institutions in the private sector as well as training of teachers. He said training was being imparted in the form of clusters for the capacity-building of teachers and a cluster has been formed at every 16-km. He said that there are 2000 clusters in the province where about 4,500 master trainers are continuously engaged in the training of teachers.
Punjab Chief Secretary Salman Siddique said Punjab education department should collect data about such areas where up-gradation of schools is essential and it should be ensured that no such school is left unidentified.
Planning and Development Chairman Suleman Ghani said more funds would be provided for the strengthening of this sector. Finance and Education Secretaries Sohail Ahmad and Khalid Akhlaq Gillani and Directorate of Staff Development Director Rukhsana Zia were also present.