Access to quality education main agenda of govt, says provincial minister

LAHORE: Punjab Minister for Schools Education Murad Raas on Friday said that access to quality education for all was the main agenda of the government, ARY News reported.

“Access to education, provision of quality education and improving the overall standard of government schools are our main agenda as schools education is the most important tier of the educational system,” he said while addressing a press conference at DGPR Office. Provincial Information Minister Fayyaz ul Hassan Chohan was also present on the occasion.

The schools education minister said comprehensive strategy had been finalised to achieve the future goals of schools education department.

“Under this strategy, short, mid and long term strategies are being employed to introduce much needed reforms in the government schools,” he maintained.

Murad Raas said that permission would not be granted to open substandard schools in every nook and corner adding that hitherto unregistered private schools should immediately get themselves registered with the schools education department.

Giving a detail of future priorities, he said that education in primary schools will be imparted in Urdu and English will be taught as a subject. Double shift is being introduced in selected primary schools of 20 districts along with setting up of 200 science labs and 100 libraries.

The provincial minister said that Central Model High School Lower Mall would  be upgraded as a model school and health room and filtration plant would also be established there. He informed that compulsory sports would be introduced and the programme about provision of cycles to students in 20 districts would be extended.

“Similarly, health program is also being launched in 1700 selected schools. Affected schools structures are also being restored in flood affected areas of the province,” he said.

Murad Raas said that teachers transfer policy would be reviewed. Girl-friendly toilets will be constructed and ECE related initiatives will be extended as well, he said.

“A sum of Rs58 crore has been saved in open competitive bidding of Punjab Curriculum and Textbook Board for the procurement of textbooks for 2019-20. Similarly, Rs. 20 million will be saved annually by merging the three separate offices of Punjab Education Foundation in Lahore.

“Meanwhile, 70 vehicles of Quaid-e-Azam Academy for Educational Development have been retrieved from the officers which were used in their homes instead of any official purposes,” he said.

The schools education minister said that drafts of Punjab Educational Professionals Standards Council Bill 2018, Punjab Private Education Reform Bill 2018 and Punjab School Truancy and Compulsory Admission Bill 2018 had been prepared with the objective to regulate the schools system and to improve the matters pertaining to the schooling of the students.

He said parents would also be motivated to send their children to the schools. On the other side, work is being done on performance management framework for educational managers at the levels of tehsils, districts and province, he maintained.

Fayyaz ul Hassan Chohan said that it was for the first time that any government had given 100 days plan and formulated the future strategies. “All the departments and ministers are briefing the nation about their 100 day plans to give a roadmap of their future course of action,” he added.