Latest news with #PunjabEducationFoundation
Express Tribune
2 days ago
- Business
- Express Tribune
Education sector gets 24% of non-development budget
The Punjab government has allocated 24.4 per cent of the non-development budget for the financial year 2025-26 to the education sector. The government allocated Rs148 billion for the development of the sector, marking a 137% hike over last year, and Rs661 billion for non-development expenses. The allocation pertains to the school, higher and literacy and non-formal education departments. The budget includes allocations for the laptop scheme and Honhar scholarship programme in addition to provision of facilities and construction of hostels, libraries and computer labs. The government allocated Rs15 billion for the scholarship programme. The allocation last year was of Rs4.5 billion. According to the budget documents, it plans to distribute 112,000 laptops among students during the year through an allocation of Rs15.1 billion for the CM Punjab Laptop Scheme. Last year, Rs37 billion had been allocated for the scheme and 40,000 students had benefitted do far. In the annual budget, the Punjab government has introduced the Punjab Education Initiative Management Authority ( PEIMA) and allocated Rs40 billion for the construction of new classrooms, IT labs, upgrade of school buildings and provision of facilities. The government also allocated Rs4 billion for outsourcing government schools during the year. An allocation of Rs5 billion has been proposed to check the drop out ratio from government schools. The Punjab government allocated Rs5 billion for a project to set up 'schools of eminence' of international standard and Rs3 billion to expand establishment of centres of excellence of early childhood education. It allocated Rs35 billion for the Punjab Education Foundation to support low-income private schools for educating needy children. In addition, Rs3.7 billion has been allocated for the Punjab Education Curriculum Training and Assessment Authority ( PECTA) and Rs6 billion for the CM School Meal Programme, for which Rs7 billion had been spent last year. The allocations include Rs2 billion for constructing eight government associate colleges for girls and the same amount for digital labs in public sector colleges. An allocation of Rs25 billion has been proposed for higher education along with Rs2 billion for the construction of Mian Nawaz Sharif Engineering and Technology University in Kasur. In the coming year, Rs5 billions will be allocated for special education, while Rs1.8 billions will be spent on providing transport services in special education schools.
Business Recorder
05-05-2025
- Politics
- Business Recorder
Enrollment of 1.1m out-of-school children: CM Maryam sets unique record in Punjab
LAHORE: Chief Minister Punjab Maryam Nawaz Sharif chaired a special meeting of the School Education Department for a detailed briefing on the existing and proposed projects of school education. She was briefed by the authorities concerned, 'Outsourcing of more than 11,000 schools has been completed in Punjab, and the enrollment of children has increased manifold.' She congratulated Minister of Education on the enrollment of 1.1 Million Out-of-School children under Punjab Education Foundation. Madam Chief Minister directed School Management Councils to provide necessary facilities in schools worth Rs 10 billion within 90 days. She also directed them to build required classrooms in all schools within a year, and said, 'Repair 580 most dilapidated and 2770 precarious school buildings.' She added, 'Construction and repair of schools is among our top priorities.' Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif set a target of spoken English training of five lakh children of government schools from English trainers. She directed the relevant authorities to expand the scope of school meal program to other districts and tehsils keeping in view number of children suffering from malnutrition there. She also directed them to build Nawaz Sharif School of Eminence for girls and boys in every district, and set a target of upgrading 1750 schools in five years. She was briefed, 'Upgradation of 250 schools will be done in the next financial year, and 300 Tech-Ed schools will be built in 10 tehsils of Punjab.' They added, 'Construction and repair of 195 classrooms, and roofs of 397 rooms in outsourced schools will be carried out.' Madam Chief Minister was also apprised,'254538 square feet of boundary wall, 414 toilets and 1543 water tanks were constructed in outsourced schools in the province.' She said, 'IT and science lab, library, multipurpose playground, smart board and other modern facilities will be available in Nawaz Sharif School of Eminence.' She also reviewed the project of Nawaz Sharif Centre of Excellence for Early Child Education, and was presented with a project of constructing boundary wall, 4066 toilets, 8488 furniture and 100 water filtration plants in 4327 schools across Punjab. Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif said, 'STEM labs will be built on SMC model in Punjab schools.' She added, 'I want to do a lot of work for the education of children.' She underscored, 'Every school will have all necessary facilities including toilets.' She flagged, 'Steps are being taken to install solar systems in schools.' Copyright Business Recorder, 2025
Express Tribune
04-05-2025
- Politics
- Express Tribune
1.1 million out-of-school children enrolled
The government's plan is grand and envisions the enrollment of all out-of-school children, a long overdue revision of the curriculum and the development of community and basic education schools. PHOTO: REUTERS The outsourcing of more than 11,000 schools has been completed in Punjab. Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif was informed during a briefing on the ongoing and proposed projects of school education that the enrollment of children in the institutions had increased manifold. She congratulated the education minister on the enrollment of 1.1 million out-of-school children under the Punjab Education Foundation. The chief minister directed the School Management Councils to provide necessary facilities worth Rs10 billion within 90 days. She directed the councils to build required classrooms in all schools within a year and repair 580 most dilapidated and 2,770 precarious school buildings. She added, "Construction and repair of schools is among our top priorities." Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz set a target of training in spoken English of 500,000 students of government schools by trainers. She directed the relevant authorities to expand the scope of the school meal programme to more districts and tehsils, keeping in view the number of children suffering from malnutrition. She also directed the authorities to build a 'Nawaz Sharif School of Eminence' for girls and boys in every district, and set a target of upgrading 1,750 schools in five years. She was informed that 250 schools would be upgraded in the next financial year and 300 technical education schools would be built in 10 tehsils of Punjab. Officials said the construction and repair of 195 classrooms and the roofs of 397 rooms in outsourced schools would be carried out.
