‘Talented students’ to get free education

K-P cabinet okays provision of free education for academically gifted students from grade seven to 12

PESHAWAR:

The Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa cabinet has given its stamp of approval to provide free, high-quality education from 7th to 12th grade for talented students enrolled in government schools. These students will have access to top-notch educational institutions within the province.

The cabinet met under the chairmanship of Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur and took major decisions regarding energy production, education, food security, procurement of wheat, and sustainable development.

It approved the rehabilitation and restoration of the 17-megawatt (MW) Ranolia Hydropower Project in Lower Kohistan. The Provincial Development Working Party (PDWP) had already approved the project at a cost of Rs8.1 billion with the condition that the same would be processed for the approval of the provincial cabinet for inclusion as a non-ADP scheme.

The cabinet approved the scheme’s inclusion as a non-ADP scheme and financial assistance from the Asian Development Bank. It also okayed the acquisition of 327 kanal land for the 88MW Gabral Kalam Hydropower project being financed by the World Bank in District Swat.

Upon commissioning, the project is expected to yield an income of over Rs7.4 billion per year for the province.

An additional compensation in respect of land and built-up property based on an independent valuation study for executing the 300MW Balakot Hydropower project on Kunhar River Manshera was also approved.

The cabinet sanctioned the shifting of manual registration books to automated motor vehicle registration smart cards. The Excise and Taxation Department had already signed an MOU with the National Security Printing Company (NSPC) of the federal government for the provision of registration certificates and supply of smart cards in 2022. The rates of such registration cards would be Rs574 as compared to Rs1475 in Islamabad, Rs530 in Punjab and Rs1600 in Sindh, the cabinet was informed.

It also approved the utilization of Rs500 million from the defunct FATA Development Authority, along with an accumulated markup of Rs43 million, under the accelerated implementation program in the merged districts.

The cabinet okayed the acquisition of over 34 kanal land for the construction of the Judicial Complex at Panah Kotm Upper Dir. Enactment of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Registration of Godown Rules 2022 as required by the KP Godown Registration Act 2021 was also given the nod.

The act provided for the registration and regulation of warehouses ensuring a comprehensive system regarding the stable supply and availability of goods and for matters connected therewith.

The cabinet approved the provision of free and quality education from grade seven to twelve for talented students of government schools in the province. These students will have access to top-notch educational institutions within the province.

On the chief minister’s proposal, the cabinet decided to double both the amount of monthly scholarship and the number of such talented but poor beneficiary students of the scheme from the next academic year.

The cabinet directed to ensure no student was left without education due to non-availability of textbooks and related facilities.

It also directed that a study be conducted to compare the quality and cost of textbooks published by both the government and private sector.

The utilisation of old textbooks was also approved in the broader interest of the people of province.

Published in The Express Tribune, April 25^th, 2024.