KP govt working to promote education, says Gandapur

PESHAWAR: Chief Minister Ali Amin Khan Gandapur has said the KP government is working to promote education along modern lines with a focus on imparting quality education to students, especially to females.

Addressing a graduation ceremony organized by the Elementary and Secondary Education Department here on Monday at Nishtar Hall, Peshawar, he said that Alternate Learning Pathways (ALP) Programme was an integral part of that strategy.

“Under the ALP Programme, 1,267 centres have been established in 27 districts of the province, presently imparting formal and informal education to 42,644 students, while 62,000 students have completed education so far under the programme,” he added.

He said the main objective behind launching the ALP Programme was to provide educational opportunities to those children who were out of school and could not be enrolled in formal schools for being over-aged.

The chief minister said that the KP government had been working on introducing an Education Card, prioritizing the merged districts and backward areas of the province. He added that girl students in the schools of merged districts were being provided with a monthly stipend to improve literacy rates in those districts.

Gandapur said the KP government had also decided to provide desks and chairs in all government schools to ensure that no child had to sit without proper seating arrangements in schools.

He said: “Our primary goal is to provide people with access to quality education and healthcare, not just to construct buildings. School building construction takes time; hence, we have chalked out a policy to start schooling in rented buildings immediately to avoid any delays and ensure that children’s time is not wasted.”

The chief minister emphasized that the KP government was paying special attention to girls’ education because educated mothers can build an educated nation. He disclosed that the provincial government would soon initiate the hiring process for 16,000 teachers in the Elementary and Secondary Education sector.

Provincial Minister for Elementary and Secondary Education, Faisal Khan Tarakai and others also addressed the ceremony. Besides, the provincial cabinet members Faisal Khan Tarakai, Muhammad Sajjad, Syed Qasim Ali Shah, and Zahid Chan Zeb, government officials, representatives from partner organizations, students, and teachers, attended the ceremony.

The chief minister distributed certificates to students who completed the ALP Cycle of education. It is worth mentioning that under Package E alone of the ALP programme, 14,487 students have completed education while so far 62,000 students have benefited from this programme collectively.