LAHORE: Announcing up-gradation of 27512 Primary and Elementary schools in Punjab at a sum of Rs 50 billion in a phased manner, Punjab Chief Minister Sardar Usman Buzdar said on Saturday that the first phase will be started from 1st of August and four million students will be benefited from this programme.
While addressing a press conference, the CM said that promotion of education is the top priority of the incumbent government for which no stone will be left unturned. In the first phase from 1st August, 21 thousand Primary schools will be upgraded to Elementary level at a cost of Rs 17 billion. In the second phase of this programme, 6653 elementary schools will be upgraded to high school level.
According to the procedure and keeping in view the number of students, Elementary classes will be held in existing Primary schools and there will be secondary classes in the second shift of Elementary schools.
The CM said that only teachers and staff will be paid honorarium instead of changing the civil structure. About 6653 computers and science labs will be set up for the students of 9th and 10th class in Elementary schools.
Usman Buzdar maintained that Rs 295 billion would have required if the government adopt a traditional way of upgrading schools. This project will save Rs. 245 billion, he added. The 27517 schools in the first and second phase of this project include 11501 schools from Central Punjab, 5402 from Northern Punjab and 10614 primary and elementary schools from Southern Punjab.
He stated that the ratio of Southern Punjab’s schools to be upgraded under this programme is 38%. He stated that he would have announced the High to Higher Secondary School Up-gradation Project today, if the government is not giving the subsidy of Rs. 30 billion to Orange Line Metro Train.
Giving the details of other important steps for the promotion of education, the CM said that one million children have been enrolled in a year, including 40 per cent boy and 60 percent girl students. The responsibility of enrolling children has been withdrawn from the teachers, now the Education Officer and the School Council will do this work. He added that record of B-Form has already been obtained to devise the accurate data of 10.06 million students.
Responding to the questions, Usman Buzdar said that distance is the main obstacle to send the girls to school in villages. Teachers do not need to go anywhere for transfer as e-Transfer has been introduced.
He further stated that the government was more focused on the health sector due to Corona pandemic. The project of constructing classrooms will also be completed.
To a query, he said the Punjab government will evolve a policy for private vaccination with the federal government. The decision of administrating the vaccine to the children will be taken after consultation of experts. Report of vaccinating the influential will soon be surfaced.
Provincial Education Minister Dr. Murad Ras informed the media that after the e-Transfer of teachers, online retirement, and leave and promotion system will also be implemented by December 2021.
Earlier talking to Chief Whip National Assembly MNA Malik Muhammad Amir Dogar, the CM said that setting up Southern Punjab Secretariat is on the credit of the PTI government. This secretariat is being further strengthened and empowered, he added. Chief Secretary will be posted in Southern Punjab on permanent basis.
He asserted that people of backward areas will be benefitted from the fruits of development. The incumbent government has a vigilant eye on the problems of every city. Completion of the District Development Package will resolve the problems of the people. A special development package has been devised for the development of Multan which will help to redress the long-standing issues of the people of Multan.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2021
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