'Punjab government striving to achieve 100 percent literacy rates'

The Punjab government has enhanced budgetary allocations for education sector from Rs 43 billion in 2004-05 to Rs 53 billion in the current financial year out of which Rs 6 billion would be received from the donors. Punjab Minister for Education, Mian Imran Masud revealed this in a press conference held here on Monday. The Minister for Communication and Works, Chaudhry Muhammad Zaheer was also present on the occasion.
In order to achieve 100 percent literacy rate, the government has provided free of cost books in the government schools which cost Rs 650 million during the previous financial year, he said. Besides, the government has recruited 29,000 graduate teachers on merit, and increased 10 percent seats in higher education, while evening classes in the government colleges have also been started, he maintained.
The other provincial governments including Sindh and NWFP have also followed the educational programme of the Punjab government and taking steps for provision of free text books and stipend to the female students, the minister added.
The donor agencies including the World Bank has acknowledged the Punjab Education Structural Reform Programme and extended it for the next 10 years. The World Bank would provide 100 million dollars every year during the next 10 years, he maintained.
Imran Masud also said that the government has made the education free of cost and exempted the tuition fee, which would cost Rs 420 million to the provincial government. As a result of government measures, the enrolment in the government schools has increased to 9 million, which would ensure implementation on Punjab chief minister's 'Parah Likha Punjab' programme. The government is now focusing on quality of education and encouraging demanded oriented disciplines in the government institutions so that the issue of unemployment could be redressed, he added.
Speaking on the occasion, Chaudhry Zaheer said that Pakistan Muslim League Education Wing, Punjab has been constituted. This wing has been formed with the objective to create awareness about the government efforts in the education field. The wing will hold courses, workshops and seminars on the importance of education, he maintained. The government is also focusing on the training of teachers so that disparity in public and private sector schools could be removed, he added.