RAWALPINDI: Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif’s efforts have led to a record 1.1 million out-of-school children enrolled in schools in a short time, a first in Punjab’s history.
A special meeting, chaired by the Chief Minister, was held to make key decisions. During the meeting, Maryam Nawaz was briefed on current and proposed school education projects. It was reported that over 11,000 schools in Punjab have been outsourced, resulting in a significant increase in student enrollment.
The Chief Minister praised the Education Minister for enrolling 1.1 million children under the Punjab Education Foundation and directed the School Management Council to ensure essential facilities with a Rs. 10 billion budget within 90 days.
She also ordered the construction of needed classrooms within a year, along with the repair and rebuilding of 580 dilapidated and 2,770 worn-out school buildings. A target was set for 500,000 government school students to receive spoken English training from English trainers.
Maryam Nawaz instructed the expansion of the school meal program to other districts and tehsils based on the number of children facing malnutrition.
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She also directed the establishment of Nawaz Sharif Schools of Eminence for boys and girls in every district and set a goal to upgrade 1,750 schools in five years, with 250 schools to be upgraded in the next financial year.
The briefing noted that 300 tech-enabled schools will be established in 10 tehsils of Punjab. In outsourced schools, 195 classrooms and 397 room roofs were built or repaired, 254,538 square feet of boundary walls were constructed, and 414 toilets and 1,543 water tanks were added.
Nawaz Sharif Schools of Eminence will include facilities like IT and science labs, libraries, multipurpose playgrounds, smart boards, and other modern amenities.
A review was conducted for Nawaz Sharif Centers of Excellence Early Childhood Education in nine divisions. Projects for boundary walls in 4,327 schools, 4,066 toilets, 8,488 furniture items, and 100 water filtration plants were presented.
Maryam Nawaz Sharif stated that she wants to do a lot for children’s education. She emphasized that facilities like toilets in every school are essential and said steps are being taken to install solar systems in schools.
