Peshawar - Chief Minister Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Mahmood Khan has directed the authorities of Higher Education Department (HED) to take necessary measures to launch BS programme in all colleges of the province and start second shift in colleges on need basis.
Presiding over a progress review meeting of the Higher Education, Archives and Libraries Department here, Mahmood Khan further directed the department to introduce E-transfer policy to ensure transparency in posting/transfers of teachers.
The meeting was attended besides others by Special Assistant to Chief Minister on Higher Education Kamran Bangash, Secretary Higher Education Daud Khan, Secretary Finance Atif-ur-Rehman, Secretary Communication & Works Ijaz Ansari and other senior officials.
While briefing the meeting about the overall performance and reforms initiatives undertaken by the department, it was told that during last two years 19 new colleges had been established in different districts of the province while work on the establishment of 51 more colleges was in progress.
It was further informed that some 1900 new posts of lecturers had recently been approved to overcome deficiency of lectures in colleges. A total of Rs2545.825 million had been approved for providing missing facilities in 177 colleges of the province.
The Chief Minister, on the occasion, directed the quarters concerned to make the newly established colleges functional in all respects without any delay. While stressing upon the need for restructuring of the department in order to strengthen it on modern lines, he directed the authorities concerned to submit workable proposals to this effect.
Mahmood Khan also directed for early completion of restructuring process of Education Testing and Evaluation Authority (ETEA). The forum was informed that a total of 89 development projects of higher education department had been reflected in current Annual Development Programme, while some 44 projects were due for completion during current financial year.
The meeting was informed that BS blocks had been completed in the 12 different colleges of the province while Rs1154 million were released for development of science labs, provision of furniture, machineries and other facilities in the colleges. BS Commerce Programme had been extended to all commerce colleges of the province whereas BS programme in other subjects was extended to 113 colleges so far.
Under the “Stoory Da Pakhtunkhwa Scholarship programme”, Rs15.48 million were disbursed amongst students during the current financial year. Similarly in order to meet the financial requirements of the universities, bailout packages had been provided to universities including Rs250 million for Peshawar University, Rs100 million for Agriculture University Peshawar, Rs138 million for Abdul Wali Khan University, Rs100 million for Gomal University and Rs100 million for Islamia College.
It was informed that furniture and books worth Rs32 million had been purchased for various libraries of the province and second shift had been launched in the public libraries. Briefing about the training activities, the forum was informed that 4233 teachers and 160 principals, DDOs and BS coordinators had been trained so far under the Higher Education Academy for research and training. It was told that a sub-committee had been constituted for introducing E-commerce policy in management science colleges of the province.