Chief Minister of Punjab Maryam Nawaz Sharif has unveiled a series of programs to uplift education in the province of Punjab that includes free transport and lunch facility as a part of her groundbreaking initiatives. The transport program announced by CM of Punjab is known as “on-wheel Montessori school” that substantially upgrades the educational infrastructure through van service facilitated by the Punjab govt for school children. These all initiatives aim to promote education in Punjab mainly in the rural sector.
Free Transport and Van Service in Punjab
In a high-level meeting with the education department, CM Maryam Nawaz directed the development of Punjab’s first structured school transport system prioritizing education and students in remote and underserved areas. As part of the initiative, Montessori schools on wheels will be announced to bring early childhood education directly to school students.
In the meeting, the government has also approved a new initiative ‘school and teacher of the month award’ to promote educational competition. The award will be based on the performance, discipline, teaching qualities and academic outcomes. All these initiatives aim to encourage excellence in Punjab education sector.
The Education Minister of Punjab Rana Sikandar Hayat has reported a 99% increase in student enrollment and a 114% rise in teaching staff throughout the province. These efforts have created 60,000 new jobs and have bought approximately 1.3 million students into the education system in just one and a half years.
The education minister has also announced 10,500 additional schools for outsourcing in next phase. This educational development model has proved itself as the world’s largest education-based public-private partnership. The first phase has alone received 40,000 applications for 5700 schools.
Widespread Improvement in Facilities:
- 413 new classrooms constructed
- 5000+ classrooms renovated
- 2500+ school roofs repaired
- 50+ schools powered by solar panels
- Provision of 1400+ water tanks
- 5000+ water coolers and 10000 blackboards
Free Lunch and New Tech Projects
In many districts such as Faisalabad, Midday meals are provided to students through community driven model. Over 70,000 furniture sets have been distributed to improve the classroom environment. The government has also announced the establishment of 10,000 early education classrooms with free lunch facility.
The PEEF Tech schools pilot program is trying to bring technical education to the forefront, with plans to expand this project in rural areas. An English conversion programme, aligned with IELTS level 4, is expected to benefit 300000+ students in just six months.
The capacity of Nawaz Sharif centre of excellence will be expanded from 250 to 1500 students. A new school meal programme will be announced in many districts of Punjab such as Layyah, Lodhran, Dera Ghazi Khan and Bhawalnagar. The government will offer milk and cookies for the students. All these programs will ensure attendance and interest of students in studies.
Digital Education and STEM Push:
The government has planned to complete:
- Hundreds of new classrooms
- Over 4,000 toilets block for girl’s school
- 6000+ new science and STEM labs
- Improving staff coordination & environment
CM Maryam Nawaz urged the need for high-quality teacher training and standardized school entrances to foster a safe and consistent environment in school. She stated, “Our Mission is to make public school better in Punjab better then top better institutions”
