ISLAMABAD, Feb 22 (APP):Chairperson of the Punjab Education Foundation (PEF) Malik Shoaib Awan Sunday revealed that under the Chief Minister of Punjab Maryam Nawaz Sharif’s vision, underprivileged children from Cholistan to every Punjab district will get free, equal-standard education with digitalized attendance, ensuring those who cannot afford private schooling now have access to quality education.
Chairperson Awan, while speaking in an exclusive interview with the PTV news, said that through the public-private partnership model, the Punjab Education Foundation (PEF) is making significant strides under the CM of Punjab’s vision of equal access to education.
He explained that the foundation’s work is focused on ensuring that children from disadvantaged backgrounds can benefit from modern, free schooling by partnering with private sector institutions across the province.
He added that PEF is overhauling the education system by introducing internationally-aligned, free quality education and enhancing the learning environment with upgraded infrastructure, voucher schemes, new schools, digital attendance systems and professionally trained teachers.
Awan noted that technical and vocational programmes are also being expanded so that students who cannot afford private schooling will still receive education at standards comparable to their more privileged peers.
He explained that the programme is being implemented in two phases. In the first phase, schools with weak performance and a shortage of teachers were taken under direct PEF management through long-term leases of over 10,000 schools.
Under PEF control these institutions were strengthened with strict monitoring, camera-based oversight and improved checks and balances to raise standards, he added.
He said, around 60,000 to 80,000 newly-qualified and dedicated teachers with good conduct were appointed, and as a result enrolment has risen significantly. From an initial figure of about 200,000 students, total enrolment has now reached 500,000 under the expanded programme.
He mentioned that the programme also includes a digitalized attendance system to closely track student participation, ensuring accountability and better monitoring of learning progress across all partner schools.
Awan highlighted that for the first time in Cholistan, mobile schools have been launched to bring education directly to children in remote and nomadic communities, further widening access to learning for those previously left out.
He added that these innovations are part of a broader effort to strengthen the foundation’s outreach under the Chief Minister’s vision, combining technology and ground-level initiatives to ensure that every child, regardless of location, benefits from quality schooling opportunities.
He also highlighted the foundation’s voucher schemes, saying that children from families who cannot afford private school fees will now be able to attend quality education free of cost, whether they are from a rickshaw-puller’s home or a slum area.
Under the Education Voucher Scheme, eligible children from impoverished communities receive vouchers that allow them to enroll in partner schools without paying fees, ensuring equal access to learning opportunities for the underprivileged, he added.
He further said that this approach has encouraged even parents of students in private schools to prefer PEF partner schools in their localities due to the tangible benefits and improved standards, attributing the success to the Chief Minister’s vision of inclusive and equitable education for all.
In conclusion, he added that surprise school visits and the establishment of new schools, along with special chances for talented underprivileged students such as sponsored training at Cadet College Hassanabdal, reflect the Chief Minister’s vision of inclusive, quality education for all.