Classes at the Shaheed Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto University-Lyari are scheduled to start in September, the participants of a meeting held at the Education and Literacy Department on Wednesday were apprised.
They were told that some of the major steps have already been taken, such as approving the charter, appointing a vice chancellor, and awarding management consultancy for recruiting faculty members and setting the curriculum.
Chief Secretary Raja Muhammad Abbas asked Education Secretary Wasim Ursani to ensure improving the education development programme, including implementation of President Asif Ali Zardari’s directives pertaining to the education sector.
Ursani briefed the participants of the meeting about some of the achievements. He said that under public-private partnership, 294 schools in 10 districts have been opened, wherein 33,414 students have enrolled and 974 teachers have been hired.
Through the Sindh Education Reforms Programme, facilities such as drinking water, construction of additional classrooms and boundary wall, electricity, and repair and maintenance services are being provided to 4,000 schools, he added.
He also briefed the participants of the meeting about a scheme titled ‘Establishment of schools in jails for children of jail employees’ that has been included in the Annual Development Plan 2011-12 at an estimated cost of Rs 200 million. He said that work in this regard is in progress in association with the Home Department.
The progress of the Quaid-e-Awam University of Engineering, Science and Technology in Shaheed Benazirabad and Larkana; the Shaheed Benazir Bhutto Girls Cadet College in Garhi Khuda Bakhsh; the Sindh Education Foundation; local and district monitoring of schools; survey of closed schools and other projects were also reviewed in the meeting.