For the first time in Punjab’s history, a unique record has been established as 1.1 million out-of-school children were enrolled within a short span of time.
This historic decision was taken during a special meeting chaired by Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif, where several major decisions were approved, reported 24NewsHD TV Channel on Sunday.
Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz received a detailed briefing on ongoing and proposed school education projects.
According to the briefing, over 11,000 government schools in Punjab have been outsourced, leading to a massive increase in student enrolment.
The Chief Minister appreciated the Education Minister for successfully enrolling 1.1 million children under the Punjab Education Foundation.
She also directed the School Management Council to ensure provision of all basic facilities within 90 days using Rs. 10 billion in funding.
Maryam Nawaz further ordered the construction of all required classrooms across Punjab’s schools within one year and directed the repair and reconstruction of 580 dilapidated buildings and 2,770 worn-out structures.
A target was also set to provide spoken English training to 500,000 students in public schools through English language trainers, while the School Meal Programme is to be expanded to other districts and tehsils based on the percentage of malnourished children.
The Chief Minister ordered that each district should establish Nawaz Sharif School of Eminence for both girls and boys.
During the briefing, she was informed that a target has been set to upgrade 1,750 schools over the next five years, with 250 schools to be upgraded in the next fiscal year and 300 Tech-Ed schools to be established in 10 tehsils of Punjab.
In the outsourced schools, 195 classrooms have been built, along with repairs to the roofs of 397 rooms.
Additionally, 254,538 square feet of boundary walls have been constructed, while 414 toilets and 1,543 water tanks have been added to the outsourced institutions.
The Nawaz Sharif Schools of Eminence will feature IT labs, science laboratories, libraries, smart boards, multipurpose playgrounds, and other modern facilities.
The CM also reviewed the project of Nawaz Sharif Centre of Excellence for Early Childhood Education across all nine divisions of the province.
A project was also presented to provide boundary walls in 4,327 schools, 4,066 toilets, 8,488 pieces of furniture, and 100 water filtration plants.
She was briefed that STEM laboratories will be established under the SMC model in Punjab’s public schools.
Speaking on the occasion, Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz said, “I want to do a lot of work for children’s education. Toilets and all basic facilities in every school are essential.” She added that steps are being taken to install solar energy systems in schools as well.
Reporter: Rao Dilshad