Punjab Chief Minister Sardar Usman Buzdar has said that 606 girls schools and 621 boy schools will be upgraded in the province and added that 3315 surplus teachers of elementary schools will continue to serve in the upgraded schools. The 3933 additional classrooms in elementary schools will be utilised for secondary classes, he added.

He informed this while chairing a meeting at his office about the reforms in the school education sector on Monday. Minister School Education Murad Raas, Secretary School Education Sara Aslam and others attended the meeting.

The meeting was told that 1227 schools have been upgraded by the incumbent Punjab government without spending any penny and the notification has also been issued.

Usman Buzdar assured that additional teaching staff will not be transferred anywhere and they will continue to serve in the same schools. Thus, the government has saved Rs16 billion by utilizing available resources. The CM announced that more than one lakh students will benefit from up-gradation of elementary schools to secondary level. The elementary schools, consisting of nine classrooms and six teachers, will be upgraded and the secondary schools will be upgraded to higher secondary level in the second phase, he added.

Murad Raas told that SOPs for schools are being devised. The students will be given masks. Handwashing arrangements and availability of sanitizers will also be ensured in schools, he added. Meanwhile, PEF partner schools’ 50 per cent dues, up to the month of May, have already been paid. One thousand classrooms have also been constructed in different schools in various districts. Under this project, a total of two thousand classrooms will be built. Meanwhile, a Daanish school will be soon inaugurated in Vehari district, the minister further said.