LAHORE - The Punjab Education Department has evolved a mechanism of effective implementation on quota system allocated for providing free educational facilities to needy and talented children in all the private schools of the province.
Recommendations have been prepared in a meeting presided over by Punjab Education Minister Rana Mashhood on Wednesday which will be implemented after final approval of Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif.
According to the recommendations, ten per cent quota for admission of deserving children from nursery to 10th class will be ensured, under section 13B of the Punjab Free & Compulsory Ordinance 2014 which will benefit more than 0.2 million children.
Children, desirous of getting admission in private schools, whose parents have a total income less than Rs25,000 will submit admission forms for free education in private schools after verification of income certificate from employer or concerned Tehsildar.
Private educational institutions will provide admission to the children of deserving families registered under Benazir Income Support Programme (BISP), children of government employees who died during service, children of lower grade government employees and orphans of their areas on priority basis and remaining seats of 10pc quota will be given to the children on merit.
There will be 50pc quota each for boys and girls in private schools providing co-education. Screening procedure and quality assurance test of the disadvantaged children will be conducted annually to know about the learning outcome. School administration will inform regularly to the EDO Education of concerned district through management information system about all record.
Addressing the meeting, Rana Mashhood said that practical shape would be given to the vision of CM Shahbaz Sharif, so that no talented child or youth could be deprived of education. The minister constituted a special committee for further expansion of educational scholarships for the talented but needy students, announcing a Qarz-i-Hasna scheme for higher education.
Scholarship committee, headed by the Education minister, will consist of Secretary Schools Education, Secretary Higher Education, Secretary Youth Affairs, Vice Chairman PEEF Dr Amjad Saqib, Lums Prof Ali Cheema, Chairman Punjab Examination Commission Dr Zafar Iqbal Qureshi, MD Punjab Education Foundation Dr Aneela Suleman, Director General LDA Ahad Khan Cheema, Members Punjab Assembly Dr Ayesha Ghaus Pasha, Syed Abdul Aleem and Dr Aalia Aftab.
The meeting decided that the process of entry test for admission in medical colleges and engineering universities would continue in next academic session and the chief minister would take final decision after further consultation at public forums about merits and demerits of entry test.