G-B unveils reform initiative to modernise region’s education system

Chief secretary says govt will incorporate technology in education sector and start teaching entrepreneurship

GILGIT:

Gilgit-Baltistan (G-B) Chief Secretary Mohyuddin Ahmad Wani on Saturday unveiled ‘G-B Education Reform Initiative’, aiming to transform education system on modern lines in the region.

Chairing a meeting of educational experts at his office in Gilgit, Wani said the reform initiative will be a comprehensive exercise led by the principals “as leaders of change assisted by educational experts and education department”.

“The pillars of the initiative will be accountability in schools through community, leadership by principals, early childhood education and teacher training and motivation,” said the chief secretary known for taking quick decisions.

He went on to say that they will also incorporate technology in education sector and start teaching entrepreneurship, adding that the conference room of the chief secretary office will be used as an ‘operation room’ for planning, coordination and monitoring.

Also read: Creative economy of Gilgit-Baltistan

The CS underlined importance of career counselling and said Pakistani students traditionally lacked access to good counselling which hampered their ability to pursue their passions, thus negatively impacting the overall creativity pool and labour market in our country.

To address this, he said, they decided to launch 'Careerfest' programme, in which professionals from all walks of life will be invited to G-B, enabling them to share experiences from their careers with the youth on how to choose the right career for themselves. “This initiative is being organised and led by Altamash Janjua, a Stanford PhD and a career civil servant posted in G-B,” he added.

In the first batch, he said faculty members from the National College of Arts (NCA), Pakistan Nursing Council, Khyber Medical College, the National Endowment Scholarship for Talent (NEST) and the Pakistan Institute of Fashion Design (PIFD) will take part in the career counselling.