Peshawar: The Khyber Pukhtunkhwa government is planning to give the colleges a Degree Awarding Status and start community colleges for Associate Degree programmes in the province.
Similarly steps to be taken for Bachelor Studies 4 years’ programmes for which 59 million will be spent for arrangements of additional staff for BS program.
Briefing media bout the 4 1/2 years performance of ANP led government Qazi Mohammad Assad minister for higher education and minister for secondary and elementary education Sardar Hussain Babak said that their government had done much better in the education sector what the other governments did not in 50 years.
Qazi Assa said in the past four years their government has established eight new universities, 29 new colleges while 46 girls’ colleges are in pipeline and work will soon be started on these colleges.
He said that for the those high qualified jobless people higher education will establish community colleges for Associate Degree program. ” the young people who have received degrees in various sectors will be provided professional training so they could get jobs in private sector,” he added.
In the past four years, he said eight new universities have been established while the fund for higher education has been increased from Rs1.3 billion to Rs5 billion. “We have reserved Rs300 million for endowment fund for scholarships and Rs100 million for education services academy to train the administrators of various institutions” he said.
He said that Rs100 million has been allocated in ADP 2012-13 for establishment of autonomous Education Services Academy and Rs60 million for teachers training.
He said that Khyber Pakhtunkhwa was the first province which has linked to initiate training for college teachers, linking training with the promotion and pre-service training.
The present government has also established six libraries at the cost of Rs266 million in Haripur, Swat, Timergara, Lakki Marwat, Kohat and Chitral, he said. Before 2008, there were seven libraries in Peshawar , Dera Ismail Khan, Bannu, Nowshera, Swabi, Abbottabad and Mardan, he further said. Sardar Hussain Babak said that in his tenure 617 primary schools have been established whereas 625 primary school upgraded to medal and 635 medal schools have been up graded to higher secondary schools.
With the steps, he said 7% increased has been recorded in the literacy ratio which is 56% in the province. He said 49 lakh new students will be enrolled in schools during next academic year. He said 29 thousands seats in education sectors have been filled during his tenure.
Babak said 755 schools have been destroyed due to terrorism among which 555 have been reconstructed whereas tender for 190 has been released.
During his government, the service structure of the teachers has been approved while under Rokhana Pukhtunkhwa scheme 100 schools with the private sectors have established where government is paying the school fee for the deserving students.
He said seven new Bacha Khan Model School and Colleges are being approved and two of these schools and colleges have already started admissions.
Minister for education said during his government 600 % increase has been made in the development sector in education while 44.53 billion have pledged by the foreign donors for the education sector which will further help to improve the standard of education in private sector. During his government 1500 closed schools were re-opened for the students. To a question, he said that the government was intending to increase the monthly stipend from Rs200 to Rs500 for girl students from grade six to intermediate aimed at encouraging education among the girls as at present female literacy rate in the province is 38% and literacy rate for boys is 74%.