LAHORE - The Punjab government is launching a comprehensive programme under schools’ reforms roadmap for 100 percent enrolment of children in schools.
In a meeting presided over by Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif on Friday, it was decided that the CM will formally inaugurate the campaign under which door-to-door visits will be paid to motivate the parents to send their children to school. The purpose of the campaign is to ensure access of poor children to education.
UK Secretary of State for Department for International Development (DFID) Andrew Mitchell, DFID’s Special representative on education to Pakistan Sir Michael Barber, Education Minister Mujtaba Shujaur Rehman, Special Assistant Zakiya Shahnawaz, Punjab Education Foundation Chairman Raja Anwar, DFID Head in Pakistan George Tarkington, DFID DG Mark Bowman, Planning & Development Chairman Javed Aslam, Secretary Schools Aslam Kamboh, and MNA Saira Afzal Tarar were also the participants of the meeting.
At the occasion, the CM said the enrolment campaign in schools should be launched in an effective manner so that every child in the province is enrolled. He said special attention will be paid to the areas of South Punjab during the campaign.
Andrew Mitchell said that the steps taken for promotion of education among girls in Punjab were encouraging.
He said that the improvement of education system in Pakistan was the priority of DFID. He said the British government would extend necessary assistance for the education of 4 million students, recruitment of 90 thousand teachers, provision of 6 million text books, besides the construction and reconstruction of 43000 classrooms during the next four years.
Sir Michael Barber, while giving a detailed briefing regarding Punjab schools reforms’ roadmap, said that it had been a marked improvement in education sector in Punjab.
He said the achievement of important targets like improvement in the teaching standard, ratio of enrolment and comprehensive educational record would be ensured during the current year.
He said that the number of students, compared to last November, had increased by 4 million due to the steps taken by the government, adding that the schools of 33 districts of the province had improved their attendance.
He said that a pilot programme was started for the next three years to improve the standard of teaching. He said the Punjab Education Foundation would provide free education under public private partnership to 1.38 billion deserving schools till June.
Working rapidly on Rapid Bus Transit:  Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif has said that work is being fast carried out on the rapid bus transit system in collaboration with Turkey.
The CM said this while presiding over a high level meeting at Chief Minister’s Secretariat here on Friday. The meeting reviewed the pace and progress of the projects initiated for the provision of latest transport facilities to the masses.
He said that a technical committee headed by Chairman Planning & Development will monitor the e-ticketing system, training of the staff and other matters, while the matters regarding transport system will be reviewed twice a week on regular basis. He added that the technical committee and Turkish experts have also approved the design of fences and bus stations.
Shahbaz Sharif further said that two bus stations at Naseerabad and near Phatak (railway crossing) at Ferozepur Road will be completed by March 12 and will be inaugurated by the Mayor of Istanbul. He told that the bus stations will provide excellent facilities to the passengers.
MPA Mehr Ishtiaq Ahmad, Chairman Planning & Development, Secretaries of Finance, Transport and Housing departments, Commissioner and District Coordination Officer Lahore, Director General LDA as well as Brig. Shahid Majeed of NLC and Saleem Celik and Idrees, representatives of Turk Company Ulasam attended the meetings.
The meeting was informed that the construction of the rapid bus transit track from Kalma Chowk to Yuhanabad on Ferozpur Road was in progress and ten 10 bus stations will be constructed in this section along with parking facilities.
Representative of Turk Company Ulasam, Saleem Celik said that the ITS system is of vital importance for rapid bus and the company would set up a better ITS system in Lahore than that of Istanbul.