ISLAMABAD: The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) government has set a high bar for other provinces by taking its upcoming fiscal year’s education budget to Rs139 billion from a mere Rs61 billion four years ago.
“This reflects an increase of 128pc since the time Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) assumed government in 2013,” announced KP Chief Minister Pervez Khattak on Wednesday at Marriott Hotel in Islamabad.
He was presiding over an event, titled “Reforming Education in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa: Accomplishments, Challenges and Looking Ahead,” organised by the KP Elementary and Secondary Education Department (E&SED).
KP Education Minister Atif Khan said that the province, in fact, is already spending the highest percentage of the budget (23 per cent) on education among all provinces. For boosting girls’ enrolment and their retention in schools, said Khan, the KP government is providing stipends to all girls enrolled at the secondary level (grade 6 to 10) across the province.
Special Secretary for Education Qaisar Alam explained that the provincial government provides for free textbooks and costs of teaching and learning materials at the girls’ community schools. “Currently, more than 70,000 girls are benefitting from this initiative,” he said.
KP Education Secretary Dr Shahzad Khan Bangash said that it was their commitment that no child in public schools shall be deprived of basic facilities. “To honour this commitment, the provincial government has provided missing infrastructure in 20,000 schools so far,” he said.
The United Kingdom and Australian governments are investing Rs 5.5 billion to support these education reforms in the province.
Deputy Head of the UK’s Department for International Development (DFID), Judith Herbertson, said that KP government’s Education Sector Plan, along with the resolution to fund it, represents a serious long-term commitment to building an excellent education system for the future of all children.
The Acting Australian High Commissioner, Jurek Juszczyk, said that Australia has been a long-time supporter and advocate for girls’ education and is making significant investments in girls’ education through the aid program in Pakistan.
Bernard François, Head of Cooperation at the EU to Pakistan, commended the KP government’s efforts in ensuring every child’s right to education through its initiatives focusing on out-of-school children and girls’ education.
This is good for girls to have separate education system where parents can send their daughters without any fear.
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