PESHAWAR, Oct 19 (APP): Caretaker Minister for Elementary, Secondary and Higher Education Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Professor Dr Mohammad Qasim Jan has said that the provincial government was taking special steps for promotion of education in the newly merged districts of the erstwhile Federal Administered Tribal Area (FATA).
He expressed these views while presiding over a meeting of the Merged Areas Education Foundation here on Thursday. Besides, Secretary, Elementary and Secondary Education, Muatasim Billah Shah, Managing Director (MD) Merged Areas Education Foundation, Abdul Karam and Deputy Managing Director (DMD), Dr Shaukat Hayat, other higher authorities of the department also attended the meeting.
The caretaker minister said that the provincial government has allocated hefty share from its budget to increase literacy rate in the tribal districts and pass on the benefits of merger to them and redress the deprivation of their residents.
In this connection, he appreciated the role of the Foundation, which is equipping the boys and girls of these districts within its limited resources.
The provincial minister directed the authorities of the Elementary and Secondary Education Department to prepare new proposals for imparting education to the girls of the merged districts along focusing on the ongoing projects of the foundation.
Professor Dr Mohammad Qasim Jan stressed the need for paying special focus on girls education in tribal districts, saying beside the resources of the provincial government, he will also approach federal government in this regard.
He said that for the imparting of higher education, second shift was being upgraded in the adjacent localities of the tribal cities. He directed for the construction of new schools on need basis.
Earlier, during the briefing, the provincial minister was told that under the new programme, 25 new community schools would also be established under Sabawoon Schools Programme. He was further told that 337 community schools with 639 teachers were working under the supervision of the foundation while 17625 students are getting education under Literacy For All Programme, which were getting education in 209 community schools.
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