DERA GHAZI KHAN - The government has devised a plan to promote education especially at college and university levels across Punjab province, said Hanif Khan, the advisor to Punjab chief minister on health.

Talking to The Nation at Insaf Secretariat DG Khan, he said the government had decided that 10 international universities would be established in Pakistan out of which six universities would be set up in Punjab. These universities will be established in phased manner and in its first phase, three universities are being proposed in Dera Ghazi Khan, Lahore and Rawalpindi.

He added international linkages would be developed through these universities to provide state-of-the-art facility of higher education for population of the province. Different schools including education, engineering, medicine, liberal science, art etc will be established under these universalities to provide maximum facilities of education and research.

He also said that for carrying out feasibility study for three universities, Punjab government has allocated Rs100 million in Annual Development Programme (ADP) 2018-19. Furthermore, he said that Punjab government had planned to establish model colleges along with transformation of colleges with BS-4 year programme in the province. Three model colleges will be developed in DG Khan, Chakwalk and Lahore and for it; Rs20 million has been allocated in the ADP 2018-19 of financial years 2018-19, he said.