Elementary Education Foundation: 300 community schools to reopen by April

Education minister directs authorities to expedite work

PESHAWAR: Around 300 community schools for girls would be made operational by April. This was said at a meeting of Elementary Education Foundation (EEF) in Peshawar on Tuesday. EEF is an autonomous government organisation to support the informal education sector.

According to a handout, EEF Managing Director Allah Nawaz Soomro told the meeting so far 1,200 community schools for girls have been made operational and 300 more schools would be included in the list by April.

Similarly, under Farogh-e-Taleem Education Vouchers Scheme, vouchers were given to 13,000 out of 30,000 students in six districts; the target of 30,000 would be met by June.

Likewise, under Tameer-e-School Program, Rs10 billion was being spent on missing facilities in government schools – so far 30 out of 64 schools have been completed while work on the remaining 34 was under way.  Plans to hire teachers for an upcoming literacy centre at Central Prison Peshawar were also discussed.

Also present on the occasion, Minister for Elementary and Secondary Education Muhammad Atif directed EEF to expedite work on its projects without any delay and extend activities to the remaining districts of the province. The minister added their main target was out-of-school children as it would be impossible to change the fate of the province otherwise. 

Published in The Express Tribune, February 24^th, 2016.