PESHAWAR – Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Amir Haider Khan Hoti has said that the government has undertaken practical and sincere efforts for enhancing literacy rate in the province and the current enrollment campaign is basic to promotion of education at entire levels.
He said that the secret of bright future of the province lies in promotion of education. He was chairing a review meeting of enrollment campaign in government schools in cabinet room, Civil Secretariat on Wednesday.
Participants of the meeting included Provincial Minister for Elementary and Secondary Education Sardar Hussain Babak, Chief Secretary Ghulam Dastgir, Secretary E&S Education Mushtaq Jadon, Entire Commissioners of the province, DCOs, and EDOs.
It merits to mention here that the CM had launched the enrollment campaign in April in collaboration with donors with an aim to sending 1.3 million children to school having 60 per cent girls within one year and additional rooms will be constructed in schools under the campaign. The meeting was apprised of progress on the campaign so far and strategy on closure of campaign till October.
The CM expressed satisfaction on goals of the campaign and efforts of divisional and district administrations in this connection, however, he stressed further coordinated efforts for making the campaign more effective and result oriented. Important decisions were also taken for this cause.
The Secretary Education, in his briefing, said that 624,000 children were enrolled to schools last year and the number stood at 716,000 by May 29 this year where the ratio is comparatively 12 per cent greater and further development is expected by the launch of campaign in October.
According to details of the campaign, in all districts of the province, Upper Dir is in lead under the campaign. Matters pertaining to efforts and difficulties were also highlighted by Commissioners, DCOs and EDOs in concerned divisions and districts during the meeting.
The CM hailed efforts of the concerned officers and assured encouragement to the districts performing well while those lagging behind will be questioned over their performance.
It was decided during the meeting entire DCOs will convene monthly meetings for monitoring of the campaign and will frequently pay surprise visits to schools, likewise, commissioners will also convene quarterly review meeting.
These efforts will help in highlighting progress on campaign and other problems and difficulties including attendance of teachers and students. It was also agreed that the next review meeting at province level will be held in two phases; under the first phase performance of Malakand and Hazara division will be reviewed while the matters of remaining divisions will be reviewed under second phase provision of conditional grant based on performance as pilot project in four districts was also decided in the meeting.
The meeting was apprised of making Parents-Teachers Council further effective and authoritative and Rs 133 million have been released in this connection while special attention will be given to additional rooms in schools through PTCs. Matters pertaining to water supply, boundary wall, electricity, toilets and lack of other facilities were also discussed in detail during the meeting.
The CM directed for estimation of cost on provision of needs and facilities in present schools and removal of loopholes surfaced in the meeting till upcoming review meeting. Acquiring rented buildings for establishment of new schools in urban areas due to unavailability of land has also been agreed.