ISLAMABAD: Federal Secretary for Education and Training, Mohiuddin Wani, has announced that the federal government has decided to make primary school students bagless from the next academic year to reduce their burden.
The Federal Secretary for Education and Training, Mohiuddin Wani, said this during a briefing on the visit of the Advisor to the President of Pakistan, Dr. Asim Hussain, to Government Girls School, Islamabad.
He says that students will now keep their bags in school and will be allowed to take only one book and one notebook home for homework. IBCC Executive Director, Ghulam Ali Mallah, and the school principal, Saba Faisal, were also present on the occasion.
Mohiuddin Wani says that in the future, there is also a plan to provide laptops to these children so that they can read textbooks on computers.
He said that 65,000 children in 240 primary schools are being provided free meals (lunch), which cost Rs. 45 per child. Of this amount, Rs. 15 is provided by an NGO, which is also responsible for cooking the food.
The Federal Secretary for Education and Training says that this government initiative has increased enrollment by 25 percent, and the number of children dropping out of school has come to an end.
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He said that in Islamabad, 210,000 children are studying in morning schools, and 50,000 children are studying in evening schools. “We repaired 45 damaged buses and decorated them in pink. These buses are used to pick and drop students, which has further increased enrollment,” he added.
According to him, an early childhood program has been started in 100 schools, and currently, 7,000 children are enrolled.
The Federal Secretary said that 550 smart classrooms and 22 Google Centers of Excellence have been established.
Eighty students from top universities have been hired as teachers, 75 IT experts have been employed, and German, Chinese, Arabic, Japanese, and other languages have been introduced in schools.
In addition, financial programs and entrepreneurship are also being taught to school students so that they can handle budgets and other financial matters.
He further said that the yellow color has been removed from all schools in Islamabad, and they have been repainted in colorful designs to make the schools look beautiful. Gyms and modern libraries have been built in many schools, and health centers have been set up where children’s eyes were tested.
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It was found that 15 percent of children have weak eyesight, which causes headaches when reading. Their reading ability has improved after wearing glasses. Additionally, special areas have been created for children to wash their hands to prevent the spread of germs.
Mohiuddin Wani also said that, due to these measures, 5,000 children have left private schools and joined government schools.
On this occasion, Dr. Asim Hussain appreciated the performance of the school and said that this government school is in no way less than a good private school.
