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PESHAWAR, Sep 04 (APP):Chief Secretary Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Shahab Ali Shah on Thursday presided over a high-level review meeting on the Good Governance Road-map to evaluate progress against set targets in the Higher Education, Elementary and Secondary Education, and Social Welfare sectors.
During the meeting, the Chief Secretary reviewed key reforms and initiatives aimed at transforming service delivery and outcomes. Secretaries of the Higher, Elementary and Secondary Education and Social Welfare departments and other relevant officials attended the meeting.
The meeting discussed the introduction of sports activities in schools, ensuring 100% availability of furniture, fulfilling the “5-classroom and 4-teacher” criteria, enhancing teacher attendance to a 90% benchmark, revamping the examination system, and the outsourcing of underutilized schools.
The Chief Secretary underscored that alternate examination models must be finalized and operational before the upcoming annual matriculation examinations.
The review focused on uplifting underutilized colleges through outsourcing, transforming commerce colleges into applied studies centers, and introducing quality enhancement measures, including merit scholarships for students from financially disadvantaged backgrounds.
The Chief Secretary reiterated that outsourcing of institutions is not privatization but a strategic intervention to bring in private sector expertise while safeguarding the rights of existing employees and retaining government ownership.
The progress of multiple projects aimed at facilitating vulnerable communities, widows, orphans, senior citizens, and transgender persons was reviewed in the meeting.
The initiatives include the establishment of social support institutions such as branches of Zamong Kor, Darul Amans, a Senior Citizen Home at Peshawar, a Braille Academy, and the Center of Excellence for Autism. The introduction of the Transgender Protection and Empowerment Policy and the comprehensive mapping of households across the province for the launch of a provincial socio-economic registry were also reviewed.
The Chief Secretary directed the Secretaries to accelerate progress on the set targets and ensure effective implementation within stipulated time-lines.
He emphasized that timely availability of classrooms, teachers, and infrastructure is critical for quality education, while outsourcing underutilized schools and colleges is essential to maximize the use of existing assets for the benefit of students.