PITB launches hotline for 53,000 public schools

Move will help in gauging the standard of education being provided

LAHORE: A hotline service for more than 53,000 public schools in Punjab was launched on Thursday. The initiative was taken by the School Education Department in collaboration with the Punjab Information Technology Board (PITB). PITB Chairperson Dr Umar Saif launched the service.

While addressing the participants, Dr Umar Saif said, “Punjab’s education system is among the largest networks in the world where performance of students and teachers will be monitored in real time by 1,143 school inspectors and education officials.”

He added that the realtime monitoring will not only be limited to the attendance of students and teachers, cleanliness, and the provision of tap water but will also include questionnaires for students to gauge the standard of education being provided.



He maintained that during the soft launch of the hotline service two months ago, it was revealed that out of 9,200 complaints that were received, at least 77 % had been addressed to the complainant’s satisfaction.

Dr Saif said that the hotline number, 042-111-11-2020, had been prominently displayed outside public schools, which were open from 8am to 8pm for the community, parents and students.

Earlier, Special Secretary Education Punjab Rana Hassan Akhtar lauded the PITB’s interventions in the education sector and termed the initiative a huge success. Later, Umar Saif distributed shields among those officials associated with the project.

Published in The Express Tribune, April 20^th, 2018.