LAHORE- Punjab Minister for Higher Education & Youth Affairs, Mujtaba Shuja-ur-Rehman has said that Department for International Development (DFID) will provide a grant of Rs.351 million in aid to construct 15 thousand additional classrooms. One additional classroom will be constructed in each public sector school with deficient facilities.
The minister added, in a statement issued today, that Punjab government has recruited 75 thousand educators last year and 80 thousand educators will be recruited within the first few months of this year to accomplish the target of 100% literacy rate in Punjab.
He said that the government is implementing a comprehensive strategy for imparting modern education to the students and Rs. 244 billion will be spent on the education sector during the current fiscal year. This is the 26% of the total budget of Punjab.
While briefing the various delegations of party workers, Mujtaba Shuja-ur-Rehman said that the financial grant is being provided for the up-gradation of higher education, especially to the institutions of women. New women universities are also being established in Bahawalpur, Multan, Sialkot and Faisalabad for enhancing the ratio of higher education among women.
He said that over a hundred new colleges were being constructed while facilities were being provided to 96 more over the last five years. He added that 82 new colleges were being planned while missing facilities will be provided to 68 more, costing Rs. 1470 million.
He said that about Rs. 175 million have been allocated for different projects of commerce colleges in Punjab. Another Rs. 266 million have been allocated for the establishment of new universities.
Mujtaba Shuja-ur-Rehman said that IT labs have been set up in more than 5000 high schools and 515 middle schools during last five years. He said that scholarships of 12 billion rupees are being provided to more than 50 thousand students within the country and abroad from the Endowment fund.
He said that more than 75 thousand teachers had been recruited on merit to control the shortage of school teachers in Punjab. He said that modern science labs have been established in one thousand high schools of the province at a cost of one billion rupees.