Chief secretary directs authorities to initiate education reforms promptly

Plan for training teachers finalised, interviews for monitoring assistants completed.

Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) Chief Secretary Muhammad Shahzad Arbab directed authorities in the Elementary and Secondary Education Department on Tuesday to implement the proposed academic reforms without further delays.

He was chairing a high-level meeting also attended by secretary education and other high-ranking officials, according to an official handout.

The chief secretary was informed on the standardisation of 400 higher secondary schools, restructuring of the Textbook Board, establishment of an Examination Assistant Commission, uniform curriculums, biometric attendance systems and an independent monitoring and evaluation board.

Along with discussing structural changes in the education sector, Arbab was assured of developments in ensuring provision of facilities, teacher recruitment and training, publishing of books in English and stipends for female students among many others. A plan to revamp the Board of Intermediate and Secondary Education (BISE) also came under discussion.



Training the trainers

Participants of the meeting revealed that a plan for training 23,000 teachers had been finalised and trainers have been trained for the purpose, with English to be the medium of instruction.

Arbab was told that district-wise interviews for recruitment of monitoring and evaluation assistants had been completed whereas governing bodies responsible for the process of standardising higher secondary schools had already been empowered.

The official dispatch also stated that consultants for revamping the BISE and the examination commission leading towards uniformed curriculum had been engaged, and that they would submit recommendations within the next few weeks.

Meanwhile, authorities at the meeting disclosed that a list of books recommended by the Textbook Board had been approved, while books for grade one had already been printed. The chief secretary then directed authorities for prompt and efficient implementation of all proposed and approved reforms.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 22^nd, 2014.