Provincial Education Minister Mujtaba Shujaur Rehman has said the Punjab government follows a policy of providing all-out support to private sector schools in order to achieve 100 percent literacy rate in the province.
Addressing the annual prize distribution ceremony organised by Qazi Group of Schools at Avari Hotel on Tuesday, Rehman said that as per the government policy the Punjab Education Foundation (PEF) was helping 1.2 million poor students in private schools who could not afford to pay fees or buy books.
The ceremony was attended by Punjab Agriculture and Livestock Minister Ahmed Ali Aulakh, Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) Member of National Assembly (MNA) Naseer Ahmed Bhutta, Member of Provincial Assembly (MPA) Ramzan Siddique Bhatti, MPA Nasir Ahmed, Amina Aulfat, Punjab Secretary Education (Schools) Aslam Kamboh, Board of Intermediary and Secondary Education (BISE) Lahore Chairman Allah Bukhsh Malik, parents, students and teachers of Qazi Group of Schools (QGS).
Rehman appreciated the school where 9,000 students were said to be studying in its various branches, while several students from QGS annually secure top positions in BISE exams and scholarships.
The minister gave awards to toppers, including Habibba Fatima, who secured 993/1050 marks in BISE annual examination 2011, Muhammad Shehzad, who took 988, Arsalan Ashraf, who secured 983 marks and Inam-Ul-Haq who got 983 marks. In the grade nine BISE exams, both Maira Muzaffar Meo and Wajahat Ali got first position by securing 456 marks each, Sauda Abrahim stood second with 455 marks, while Atiq-ur-Rehamn and Iram Shezadi stood 3rd at 454 marks.
The minister said the Punjab government was giving prizes in Punjab of Rs 400,000 to first position holders, Rs 300,000 to second position holders and Rs 200,000.
The same prize would also be given to one boy and one girl in Sindh, Balochistan, and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and they had been invited to stay at the CM house, giving them status of ‘state guests’ in order to motivate them to further excel in studies.
About the endowment fund set up for poor students through legislation in the assembly, he said it had been started with Rs 2 billion, but it had been extended to Rs 8 billion. Students are helped in higher education and are sent to foreign universities for scientific and technical education through this programme.
