School reforms roadmap

LAHORE:  Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif said on Friday that implementation of the Punjab School Reforms Roadmap had revamped the education sector.

He was chairing a meeting held to review the roadmap. Sharif said the target of enrolling four million children in schools would be realised in October. He said the government had recruited 140,000 teachers last year to provide quality education. Adviser to Chief Minister on Punjab Schools Reform Roadmap Sir Michael Barber, briefed the chief minister about the roadmap.
Sharif said the government was spending billions of rupees to provide quality education in the Punjab. He said the government had already released funds for improving facilities in public schools. Sharif said it was imperative to further capacity building and resource utilisation in a competent fashion.
The chief minister said data collection was being digitalised to make the reforms more effective. Sharif said the government was spending billions of rupees to restore missing facilities in schools and to reconcile the number of students with the number of teachers. Sharif said teachers should pay special attention to improving academic standards in public schools.
He directed officials to constitute a committee tasked with formulating proposals regarding the matter. Sharif said the committee would also be tasked with advising the government regarding quality teacher recruitment. He said the committee would have to present its final recommendations seven days after its formation. Sharif directed officials to implement the roadmap in an effective manner. He instructed officials to ensure that solar panels were installed at schools in Rajanpur and Dera Ghazi Khan immediately to provide continuous power to the facilities.
Sharif expressed displeasure over delays in the implementation of some reforms and said zero-tolerance would be shown in this regard. British Department for International Development Country (DFID) Head Richard Montgomery and Barber praised the efforts of the chief minister. They said he was committed to promoting quality education in the province. They said the Punjab had made great strides in education, health and infrastructure under the leadership of Sharif.
They said the provision of quality education in the province had shown an improvement in his tenure. They said the provision of quality education in the province was increasing despite the political situation.
The education minister, Planning and Development Board chairman, Punjab Education Endowment Fund vice-president, schools secretary and the finance secretary were also present on the occasion. Several DFID and World Bank officials also attended the meeting.
Published in The Express Tribune, August 30^th, 2014.
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