Every child in Punjab to be enrolled in school by 2018: Sharif

• Punjab CM says education only way to cope with poverty, unemployment, ignorance

Punjab Chief Minister Shehbaz Sharif has said that the target of rapid development can only be achieved through promotion of education, underscoring that education is the only way to cope with the challenges like poverty, unemployment and ignorance faced by the country.

Talking to elected representatives here on Thursday, the chief minister said that the Punjab government had adopted a solid policy to establish the education sector on strong foundation. “A comprehensive programme of revolutionary reforms is being implemented in the education sector and revolutionary steps taken for the promotion of quality education and uplift of this sector are proving fruitful,” he added.

Sharif said that the Punjab Educational Endowment Fund, Voucher Scheme of Punjab Education Foundation, Daanish schools, distribution of cash prizes among position-holding male and female students, foreign study tours, distribution of laptops on merit and other revolutionary steps were playing an important role in the promotion of education.

The CM said that all-out resources were being utilised to equip the builders of the nation with education, adding that there would be no shortage of these resources. He said that state-of-the-art Daanish schools had been set up for equipping children of the poorest families of far-flung areas with education. He said that free books, uniform, boarding and lodging facilities had been provided to these children in these knowledge centres. “Daanish schools are playing an important role in eliminating trends of extremism from society, and children of low-income families are getting education at par with children of the elite at these schools,” he added.

The chief minister said that educational scholarships of billions of rupees had been provided to talented students through the Punjab Educational Endowment Fund, adding that through this unprecedented programme, male and female children of the nation were studying in local and foreign prestigious educational institutions. He also said that 0.15 million male and female students facing financial constraints would be getting education through the Fund by June.

Sharif said that inclusion of boy and girl students of Azad Kashmir, Gilgit-Baltistan and other provinces in educational programmes of Punjab had promoted national unity. He said the role of Punjab Education Foundation was very important in spreading education and lakhs of children were studying under the Voucher Scheme.

CM Sharif said the PML-N government was marching forward expeditiously to achieve educational targets fixed under the “Parho Punjab—Barho Punjab” programme. He said the target of enrollment of every child of the province would be achieved by 2018 through hard work, determination and passion.

The Punjab government, he said, was also planning to set up a great knowledge park on a vast piece of land in Lahore for promoting higher and quality education. He said that quality education would be promoted through setting up of renowned national and international educational institutions in the knowledge park. He said that knowledge park to be built in Lahore would be the first of its kind in the region where all facilities would be available under one roof.

Sharif further said that the Punjab government had laid the foundation of a revolution in the education sector by taking solid steps for the promotion of education and the steps of the government would leave a far-reaching impact on this sector.