Solar panels installed in 405 schools across K-P

PESHAWAR:

Solar panels have been installed in 405 government schools across the province and the initiative will be introduced at other institutes in future. Minister for Education Muhammad Atif Khan shared these views while speaking to The Express Tribune.

“This the first time such an initiative has been taken in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa,” he said. The solar panels will provide uninterrupted power to schools and also encourage students to understand the importance of sustainable energy.  “During previous governments, education was not a priority. This is the reason why a majority of schools across the province lacked basic facilities.”



Overhaul

The minister said countless initiatives are on the cards to improve facilities at schools.

According to Muhammad Atif, efforts have been made to boost the scope of information technology at 500 government schools across the province.

“We have also converted a large number of government institutes into English medium schools,” he said.

“Last year, we achieved our target of enrolling 0.8million schoolchildren at schools,” Muhammad Atif said. “This year, we plan to enrol more children.”

Post APS

The provincial government raised the boundary walls of 8,147 schools in K-P in 2015 following the attack on Army Public School, Peshawar on December 16, 2014.

This was stated in a report issued by the elementary and secondary education department in March on missing facilities at educational institutes.

It added only the boundary walls of 52 schools were raised between 2011 and 2012. The figure increased to 1,052 in 2013-14.

Nowhere to go

According to the report, 6,090 toilets were constructed between 2014 and 2015 in various schools across the province - a facility badly needed in order to maintain hygiene.

Solar panels part of Lahore's shopping mall

“Only 266 toilets were constructed in 2011-12,” the report stated. “Around 999 toilets were constructed in 2012-13 and the number increased to 1,052 between 2013 and 2014.”

The provincial government provided water in 3,872 schools in 2014-15. “However, this number is comparatively lower than the number of government schools that were provided water supply between 2013 and 2014,” the report added.

“Additional rooms were built in 5,705 government primary schools across the province,” stated the document. “Additional rooms were built in 1,287 primary schools between 2011 and 2012 and in 1,380 schools between 2012 and 2013 while the figure stood at 942 in 2013-14.”

Published in The Express Tribune, April 15^th, 2016.