More than 400 community schools will be opened in NWFP during current financial year 2008-09 for which qualified teachers, books, consumable items and even the training of teachers will be financed by the Basic Education Community Schools Project (BECS) project.
It was disclosed in a meeting between the NWFP Minister for Elementary and Secondary Education, Sardar Hussain Babak and the Chairman National Education Foundation, which was held here on Wednesday.
The meeting discussed further collaboration between the Government of NWFP and the project namely "Basic Education Community Schools Project". The meeting was also attended by Muhammad Arifeen, Secretary E&S Education Deptt, Fazle Rabi, Director E&S Education NWFP, Ali Raza Khan, Chief Planning Officer, E&S, the representative of Elementary Education Foundation and other senior officers of the Education Department.
The Minister welcomed and highlighted the current situation of education sector in NWFP. He informed that at present more than 2.60 million children under age of nine years are out of school because of non-availability of the schools and now the children of this province required 22000 additional primary schools.
During the discussion, the Chairman NEF informed that the subject project is very flexible and can accommodate whatever demand of Government of NWFP. While discussing the implementation mechanism, it was observed that there is lack of co-ordination between Federal Government and provincial government.
To overcome these problems a committee was constituted under the chairmanship of Minister E&S in which the National Project director, Provincial Project Director, Secretary E&S Education Department, Director E&S, Managing Director, EEF and the Chief Planning Officer E&S Education Department (Member/Secretary) would be included.
Sardar Hussain Babak also asked the Chairman NEF to help the NWFP government regarding community schools opened by other agency and now required financial assistance to run these schools. The Chairman promised and asked to send details of these schools under the project will also conduct detail survey of schools, which are feasible, will be taken over.
In the concluding remarks, the Minister thanked the efforts; being initiated by the project and assured that provincial government will extend maximum help to make this project more successful.