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LAHORE, Jul 09 (APP):Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif has announced the introduction of a school van/bus service for government schools and the launch of an innovative ‘On-Wheel Montessori School’ project across the province.
She made the announcement while presiding over a high-level meeting of the School Education Department, here on Wednesday, where multiple transformative education initiatives were reviewed.
For the first time, a “School of the Month” and “Teacher of the Month” award will be introduced based on discipline, classroom performance, lab standards, and the overall quality of education.
The CM directed officials to prepare a comprehensive plan for the province’s first regular school transportation service, aimed at facilitating access to education for children in remote areas.
During the meeting, Provincial Minister for School Education Rana Sikandar Hayat presented a detailed briefing on departmental initiatives. He highlighted the success of the school outsourcing model, noting a 99 percent increase in student enrolment and a 114 percent rise in teaching staff. Over 60,000 employment opportunities have been created for educated youth as part of this initiative.
Punjab now holds the record for the largest public-private partnership in education globally, with 1.3 million additional students enrolled through outsourcing within just 16 months. Another 10,500 schools are planned for outsourcing in the next year. The first phase alone saw 40,000 applications for 5,700 government schools.
Significant infrastructure improvements have been made in outsourced schools, including the construction of 413 classrooms, renovation of over 5,000 classrooms, and repair of 2,887 roofs. Over 254,000 square meters of boundary walls were constructed, and more than 50 schools were shifted to solar energy. Facilities such as 1,643 water tanks, 5,830 water coolers, and 9,303 new blackboards have also been provided.
The meeting was informed that in select districts such as Faisalabad, children in outsourced schools are receiving midday meals under a self-help model. Additionally, 70,977 furniture sets have been delivered to improve classroom environments.
CM Maryam Nawaz Sharif also launched the Punjab Education Endowment Fund (PEEF) Education Tech Schools as a pilot project and directed that similar schools be expanded to rural areas. A successful English Conversation Program, aligned with IELTS Standard-4, is underway to benefit 300,000 students within six months.
So far, 10,000 classrooms for Early Childhood Education have been prepared across Punjab. The Chief Minister also directed the expansion of the Nawaz Sharif Center of Excellence, increasing its intake from 240 to 1,500 students.
The School Meal Program is set to begin in Dera Ghazi Khan, Layyah, Lodhran, Bhakkar, Mianwali, and Bahawalnagar, with proposals to include energy bars, milk, biscuits, and other nutritious items under review. The meeting also approved a target to construct additional classrooms by the end of the year and complete over 400 toilet blocks in girls’ schools.
Further initiatives include ongoing Google training for students and teachers, plans to build 6,000 STEM and science labs, and the rationalization of staffing across schools. CM Maryam emphasized the need for quality teacher training and instructed that school entrances across Punjab be standardized.
The CM said, “We aim to make our government schools better than even the best private institutions in Punjab.”