Priorities: Punjab spending the most on education: Mashhood

The minister says buildings of 500 new primary schools will be constructed this year

LAHORE: Education Minister Rana Mashhood Ahmed said on Tuesday the Punjab government had allocated more funds for education than other provinces.

“The Punjab government has allocated a record 27 per cent of the budget for education. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has allocated 19.6 per cent and Sindh 19.5 per cent,” the minister told a press conference at the Directorate of Staff Development (DSD).

Earlier, the minister inaugurated the Development Resource Centre at the directorate and Teachers Training Resource Centre at Pilot Secondary School, Wahdat Colony.



Ahmed said that special attention was being paid to teachers’ training. He said the directorate’s role was commendable in this regard. He said teachers from other provinces were also getting training at the directorate.

The minister said the government had also given laptops to bright students from other provinces and cash prizes to position holders. He said the Punjab Education Foundation was operating 4,500 schools under the public-private partnership. The number would be increased to 6,000 this year, he said.

Ahmed said 500 new primary schools would be constructed and four Daanish Schools opened in less-developed areas this year.

He said Rs2 billion had been added to the Punjab Educational Endowment Fund. He said schools were being operated on solar energy in thee areas where grid electricity was not available.

The minister said the Education Department had utilised 93 per cent of the last year’s budget; the remaining seven per cent would be carried forward to the next year. He said all lawful demands of teachers had been accepted.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 17^th, 2015.