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PESHAWAR, (MANEND NEWS): Peshawar-Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Mahmood Khan has directed the concerned authorities to work out modalities for the commencement of the Insaf Education Card which is expected to benefit 244,927 students, enrolled in government colleges throughout the province.
The scheme includes a waiver of the entire fee and will cost approximately Rs 1 billion to the provincial exchequer. While chairing a meeting on the Insaf Education Card, the chief minister stated that investment in human capital is of paramount importance and is one of the pivotal agendas of the incumbent government adding that sincere steps have been taken in this regard to ensure the promotion of higher education in the province.
The meeting was attended by Minister for Finance Taimur Jhagra, Minister for Higher Education Kamran Bangash, Special Assistant to Chief Minister Barrister Muhammad Ali Saif, Higher Education secretary, Information secretary and other officials.
The chief minister reiterated that the provincial government has taken sincere steps for the promotion of quality education in the province since day first which has started yielding positive results. He clarified that public trust in government educational institutions has been restored and several steps have been taken to ensure that the educational institutions in the province are made fully functional.
In this regard, 76 colleges have been upgraded whereas 37 new colleges have been established in the province to ensure uniform access to educational opportunities for students. The establishment of the Pak-Austria Fachhochschule Institute of Applied Sciences and Technology is another milestone achieved by the provincial government towards the promotion of education in the sector of applied sciences as per contemporary needs. Similarly, the establishment of university campuses in various districts of the province has also ensured equitable access of students to higher education.
During the ongoing fiscal year, Rs 8 billion have been allocated for various developmental projects in the higher education sector which includes renovation and rehabilitation works in colleges, the establishment of new colleges, strengthening of universities, promotion of commerce and management education, provision of scholarships and stipends, the establishment of new universities and strengthening of public libraries etc.
These schemes have been included keeping in view the differential needs and once completed, they will ensure that majority of the issues faced by parents and students are addressed, said Mahmood Khan.
Mahmood Khan directed the Education Department to focus on promoting quality education which can enable our future generation to compete on national as well as international levels. Education for the sake of degrees is not only useless but is also a waste of precious resources, the chief minister concluded.
Scheme expected to benefit 244,927 students of govt colleges throughout province.