ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Friday emphasised that the provision of quality education and technical training was the government’s top priority, as no nation can progress without a high-quality education system.

While chairing a review meeting on Federal Education and Technical Training Affairs, he said “in today’s education landscape, skills development, information technology, and digitisation have become indispensable, stressing the urgent need to align Pakistan’s education system with these modern principles.”

He directed the authorities concerned to ensure no child in Pakistan is left out of school, the incumbent administration had implemented an educational emergency.

He also directed the ministry to hold a national curriculum summit to facilitate the introduction of a uniform education system across the country.

He directed relevant authorities to expedite the construction of Daanish Schools in underprivileged areas including Islamabad, Gilgit-Baltistan, Azad Jammu and Kashmir, and Balochistan.

He also instructed that day-care centres be established in all educational institutions in Islamabad to support the convenience of female teachers.

In his directive to set up e-libraries in parks and recreational areas of Islamabad, the prime minister emphasised that access to these libraries should be free, with complimentary internet facilities also provided.

Sharif called for the formulation of a strategy to provide monthly stipends to female students in rural areas of Islamabad, aiming to increase enrollment in these schools.

“Technical training should be integrated into the curriculum of Islamabad schools,” he said, adding the students who had dropped out of schools – for whatever reason – should be offered free technical training, and should be brought back to schools.

Special attention, he added, should be given to ensuring transparency and merit in teacher recruitment, adding any negligence in this area, he warned, would not be tolerated.

He asked the relevant authorities to investigate why the buses provided for student transportation in Islamabad in 2017 had remained in disrepair for such an extended period.

The Ministry of Education briefed the prime minister on the steps taken by the ministry.

The meeting also revealed that 100 early childhood education centres had been established in Islamabad besides modern information technology and digital training centres had been set up in Islamabad’s colleges, offering courses in data science, artificial intelligence, and block chain technology, all linked to the country’s top universities.

Moreover, 50 digital hubs had been established in schools across rural Islamabad, while renovation work was underway at 167 school buildings in the capital.

The meeting informed that software technology parks were being developed in five model colleges in Islamabad.

Furthermore, it was announced that the 45 buses provided to schools in Islamabad, which had previously been in disrepair, had been repaired and were now being used to transport female students from rural areas to schools and colleges in Islamabad, benefiting 8,000 women. These buses are referred to as “Pink Buses.”

Smart classrooms, equipped with smart boards and digital screens, have also been established in Islamabad schools.

Additionally, work has begun on transitioning 100 schools in rural areas to solar energy under a public-private partnership.

In collaboration with the National University of Modern Languages (NUML), courses have been launched to teach Chinese, Korean, Arabic, Japanese, and German to female students.

The meeting was further informed that the construction of Daanish Schools in Islamabad, Shigar, Gilgit, and Bhimber is in the final stages. The Planning Commission has also granted the necessary approvals for Daanish Schools in Balochistan.

Finally, the Pakistan Education Fund is being set up to benefit students from underprivileged districts in Islamabad, Gilgit-Baltistan, Azad Jammu and Kashmir, Balochistan, and erstwhile tribal regions, the meeting was informed.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2024