K-P girl students to get free transport

Provincial govt decides to offer the facility to promote girls’ education in remote districts

PESHAWAR:

In a bid to promote female education in the province, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) Chief Minister Mahmood Khan has decided to provide transport facility to the female students of government schools in far-flung areas under the Parent-Teacher Council (PTC) Funds and directed the Elementary & Secondary Education Department to formulate a mechanism for the purpose and start the initiative as a pilot project in any of the backward district.

The chief minister also agreed to the proposal of establishing a centralized mother education board at provincial level and directed the education department to constitute a joint working group of stakeholders with the aim to finalize the modalities within 90 days and to come up with solid proposals to this end.

He issued these directives while chairing a meeting of education department on Wednesday. Administrative secretaries and other high-ups of education, law, finance and planning and development departments attended the meeting.

The meeting discussed the establishment of a centralized education board with the aim to have a uniform examination system and improve quality of education in the province.

In the meeting, it was proposed that Board of Intermediate & Secondary Education Peshawar will work as mother centralized board and the existing seven other boards will continue as board facilitation centres. Such centres would also be set up in all districts of the province in future for the facilitation of students.

The meeting also discussed matters related to reforms in Parent Teacher Council Fund and important decisions were made to this end.

The meeting decided to broaden the scope of PTC funds, and it was proposed to include the provision of free transport facilities to the girl students of far flung areas besides the construction of new classrooms in schools.

It was also suggested to purchase water coolers, fire extinguishers and sports goods from PTC fund.

The chief minister while agreeing in principle to the plan directed the education department to devise a mechanism in this regard.

He also directed the education department to devise a mechanism for the provision of wheelchairs to students with disabilities through the social welfare department.

He also ordered the education department to generate an assessment report regarding the work done in schools through PTC fund.

The chief minister directed reviewing the system of autonomous public schools and submitting proposals in this regard so as to streamline the affairs of those schools.

Published in The Express Tribune, July 7^th, 2022.