LONDON: The Punjab Minister for Education Rana Mashood Ahmad Khan announced that no child of age 5-8 in Punjab province would be out of school in 2018, reiterating his government’s commitment to the provision of quality and modern education to the students by utilizing all available resources in the public sector schools of the province.
“We have increased the budget for education sector from Rs.63 billion in 2007 to Rs 345 billion in the current budget which is all most 500 percent increase for the promotion of education sector in the province”, he said while addressing a signing ceremony of two Memorandum of Understandings (MoUs) between Punjab government and the British Council (Pakistan) at Pakistan High Commission London Thursday night.
Two MoUs were signed relating to the promotion of Education in Punjab Province regarding Technical skills for school children across Punjab and provision of training and resources on physical health and education.
The Secretary Education Punjab Dr. Allah Baksh and Country Director British Council for Pakistan Rosemary Hilhorst (OBE) inked the agreements on behalf of their respective organizations.
The Deputy High Commissioner of Pakistan to UK (London) Zahid Hafeez Chaudhry, the Punjab Minister for Education Rana Mashood Ahmad Khan, the Country Director British Council Rosemary Hilhorst and the Director Education British Council (Pakistan), Nishat Riaz also witnessed the signing ceremony.
While speaking on the occasion, Rana Mashood Khan said the Punjab government under the dynamic leadership of Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif was taking special measures to improve the quality of the life of the people in the province.
Rana Mashood said that Punjab government was not only building infrastructures like roads and traveling services to the people of the province but also focusing on social sector development including , human resource development ,health, education and poverty alleviation.
Thanking United Kingdom government and British Council for their support to the development of education sector in the province, Rana Mashood assured that the tax money was being spent judiciously on the development and improvement of education sector across the province.
“We enjoy good relations with the United Kingdom and this partnership with the department for international development (DFID) and British Council in the education sector would continue,” he said.
“We are spending 27 percent of Annual Development Fund on the education sector in the province of Punjab”, he added.
The minister said reforms and the achievements of Punjab government in the education sector were being acknowledged by the independent organizations and the development partners.
Rana Mashood said the provincial government was also focusing on the improvement of the health sector in the province adding that the credit of establishing Asia’s best forensic laboratory in Punjab went to present government which resulted in the arrest of the Zainab murder case culprit.
Rana Mashood said that due to the prudent policies of the government the pass percentage in the examinations has increased from 60 percent to 80 percent.
