Rs2.95b literacy schemes okayed for tribal districts

PDWP also approved 27 other projects

PESHAWAR:

To improve literacy in the merged districts, the provincial government has approved funds worth Rs2.95 billion for stipends of primary school students in the merged tribal districts.

The schemes were presented and approved during the sixth meeting of Provincial Development Working Party (PDWP) on Monday. The meeting was held with Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) Additional Chief Secretary Shakeel Qadir Khan in the chair on Monday. The meeting was attended by members of the PDWP and other relevant departments.

The forum considered 27 projects worth an estimated Rs14.892 billion related to the Elementary and Secondary Education Department (ESED), higher education, industries, local government, multi-sectoral development, forestry, food, information, social welfare and roads sector for the uplift of the province.

Projects approved in the elementary and secondary education sector was the provision of stipends and scholarships to students in the merged areas and hiring of teachers for primary, middle, high and higher secondary schools in the merged tribal areas under the Accelerated Implementation Programme (AIP).

Under the new education scheme, girls will be given a stipend of Rs1,000 if they maintain 70 per cent attendance while boys will be given Rs500 for the same percentage.

Further, the approval was also given for hiring 4,315 primary and secondary school teachers in the merged districts.

The meeting also okayed provisions for an alternative model for quality education at the secondary and higher secondary level, creating innovative solutions to improve quality and access to education in the province.

The projects approved in the higher education sector were a feasibility study for the establishment of a government girls degree college in the Tehkal area of Peshawar and feasibility study for the establishment of 20 government degree colleges in rest of the province.

The meeting also approved a feasibility study for setting up a campus of the Abdul Wali Khan University in Lower Dir district.

The forum also approved conducting feasibility for establishment of commerce college in Nowshera, girls commerce college in Swabi, Swat University Campus in Dargai tehsil of Malakand

The establishment of Swat University with funding from the Public Sector Development Programme (PSDP) was also approved.

In the industries sector, reconstruction of a government technical and vocational education centre in the Bannu district, government college of technology in Nowshera district, and government college of technology in Abbottabad.

The forum also approved schemes in the Local Government sector including the establishment of public parks, construction of tehsil complex in different tehsils of the province.

In the multi-sectoral development sector, the meeting approved the release of funds to contractors. The meeting also approved the 155-kilometre Jehangira to Swabi road.

The meeting also okayed several forestry sector projects under the AIP.

In the food sector, acquisition of land for food grain storages in the merged districts under AIP was also approved. The meeting also approved several road projects and social welfare sector.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 22^nd, 2020.