School Reforms Roadmap Program: Education sector shows phenomenal progress, says CM

–School Reforms Roadmap Program team pays tribute to Shehbaz for outstanding progress

–Shehbaz says 4300 schools outsourced under private-public partnership

–The chief minister says enrolment from private schools to public schools is increased to 33 per cent

LAHORE: Punjab Chief Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif on Saturday said the education sector has made phenomenal progress under the School Reforms Roadmap Program, adding that the information technology helped the government to towards its targets.

Addressing a three-hour long meeting on Saturday in Lahore, the chief minister said education standards have improved and the government has made considerable progress in meeting its set goals.

Shehbaz Sharif said the Punjab government outsourced 4,300 schools under the private-public partnership and the enrolment of students and quality of education also increased in these schools after the initiative. He further said that the model of the public-private partnership will be extended.

He said standardised education is the right of every child and this right will be ensured at all costs and added that the implementation of the roadmap of school reforms will be ensured with continuity. He said enrolment from private schools to public schools is increased to 33 per cent, while the percentage of retention has increased by 57 per cent.

He said merit is being ensured at all costs in every project of the Punjab government and it was the main priority in recruitment of the teachers.

Praising the Punjab Endowment Fund as the biggest project of South Asia, he said over 200,000 deserving students benefited from the fund and added that by the end of this year the students benefitting from this project will increase to 350,000. He said the Punjab government has distributed education scholarships worth 12 billion rupees under the endowment fund.

Moreover, he said girl student of less developed districts of the province are getting scholarship from the Zewar-e-Taleem Project and more vouchers under this scheme will be distributed by 2018.

DFID Managing Partner Sir Michael Barber said the Punjab government is proceeding with the programme in an excellent manner and immense improvement has been noted in the enrolment and education quality. He said due to the personal interest of Shehbaz Sharif, the programme is moving forward at a rapid pace.

DFID chief Joanna Reed said the Punjab government has made remarkable progress in the education sector under the leadership of CM Shehbaz Sharif, and DFID will keep on supporting the government in the education sector.

Besides senior officials of World Bank, British Council, UNICEF and School Reforms Roadmap Program, Punjab Education Minister Rana Mashhood Ahmed Khan, Higher Education Syed Ali Raza Gillani, CM’s Adviser Dr Umer Saif, Punjab chief secretary, Punjab Education Foundation chairman, secretaries of concerned departments and education experts were present in the meeting.