Education reforms roadmap: Targets successfully achieved in Punjab says CM Sharif

Sharif says that the target for enrolment of children in schools has been achieved.

Punjab has achieved all targets under the Education Reforms Roadmap (ERR), Punjab Chief Minister Muhammad Shahbaz Sharif said on Tuesday.

These goals include school enrolment targets, provision of missing facilities, setting up of new educational institutions, teachers training and adequate attendance of teachers and students.

He was addressing a briefing on the progress of Punjab Education Reforms Roadmap in Islamabad on Tuesday, according to a press release issued by the Punjab Press Information Department.

He said that besides promotion of education, the measures taken for social development and uplift of other sectors have also yielded positive results. “Despite terrorism, energy shortages and other challenges in the country, the Punjab government has made remarkable progress in the education sector.”

He said that more than 40,000 need-based scholarships worth Rs10 billion are being given from the Punjab Educational Endowment Fund and expressed gratitude to the British Department for International Development (DFID) and other international institutions for cooperation in the promotion of education. He hoped that this cooperation will increase in the days to come.

Addressing the meeting, CM Sharif said that the strategy adopted for the promotion of education in the province has yielded encouraging results. He said that the target for enrolment of children in schools has been achieved, while 91% target of the provision of missing facilities in educational institutions has also been realised.

He said that they ensured 92% attendance of teachers and students in schools. Under the Chief Minister’s Ujala programme, he said, distribution of free solar lamps among students of schools and colleges has been finalised and the programme will be launched before January is up.

British Secretary of State for International Development, Justine Greening, said that the Punjab government has successfully achieved ERR targets while DFID programmes in education and other sectors have also been implemented in a satisfactory manner. She said DFID’s cooperation with the Punjab government for the promotion of education and development of other sectors will continue in future as well.

Educationist Sir Michael Barber, Senator Ishaq Dar, Provincial Minister Mian Mujtaba Shujaur Rehman, DFID representative in Punjab Tom Owen Edmundus, First Secretary David Fournier, World Bank representative Dhushyanth Raju, DFID Education Advisor Javed Ahmed Malik, World Bank Country Director Rachid Ben Messaud attended the briefing.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 23^rd, 2013.