Punjab Government and Sir Michael Barber Forge Alliance for Educational and Sectoral Reforms

LAHORE: The Punjab Government and renowned education expert Sir Michael Barber have agreed to collaborate on comprehensive reforms in education and other sectors aimed at fostering holistic development.

A high-level delegation led by Sir Michael Barber met with Senior Minister Maryam Aurangzeb. During the meeting, the Senior Minister expressed her appreciation for Sir Michael Barber’s past collaboration and technical assistance in various sectors.

In the briefing, the Senior Minister outlined Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif’s holistic agenda for fundamental reforms in governance, focusing on education, youth skill development, and environmental initiatives. A mega project has been launched to ensure education for every child across the province, she announced.

The entire educational system is being overhauled to guarantee the provision of all necessary facilities and qualified teachers in schools. For the first time, a 20-billion-rupee program has been initiated to provide meals and milk for students in government schools in the most underprivileged districts.

The province is also introducing a world-class early-years education system, she said. Additionally, ten universities in Punjab will send their students abroad on international scholarships.

The government has introduced modern technologies and methods in agriculture, providing farmers with quality seeds, fertilizers, tractors, and machinery through the farmer credit card system.

The Himat Card Program, covering cash and skill development, has also been launched. Extensive programs to promote information technology, including IT City Lahore, aim to deliver government services to homes via Digital Punjab.

Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif is overhauling the health system, with clinics on wheels and field hospitals treating lakhs of patients. Modern healthcare facilities, free medicines, and advanced diagnostic and treatment machinery have been provided in both urban and rural areas, she added.

The Chief Minister is personally monitoring progress towards performance targets set for ministries and departments using IT-based scorecards. Efforts to vaccinate and treat diseases such as measles and polio at the grassroots level are ongoing. The government, in collaboration with the private sector, is working on a multi-sectoral smog action plan to combat air pollution and smog, she concluded.

The delegation praised Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif’s vision for public service, systemic reforms, and IT-based initiatives. Sir Michael Barber, who has worked on governmental reforms in over fifty countries, including serving in British Prime Minister Tony Blair’s delivery unit, commended these efforts.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2024