Punjab Chief Minister Orders Reform in 13,000 Underperforming Schools, Introduces Nutritional Support for Students

Karachi, In a significant move aimed at revamping the educational infrastructure within the province, Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz has mandated a comprehensive overhaul of 13,000 underperforming government schools over the next three months. The directive was issued during a meeting focused on the School Education Reforms Programme, which also saw discussions on a novel initiative to provide tetra pack flavoured milk to fifth-grade students, emphasizing the government’s commitment to both educational and nutritional enhancements for young learners.

According to Directorate General Public Relation – Govt of Punjab, the Chief Minister called for collaboration with the Education Management Organization to facilitate the necessary improvements in these schools. A key aspect of the reform includes reaching out to donors to secure funding for essential facilities currently lacking in many government schools, alongside finalizing partnerships with educational NGOs to bolster the support network for these institutions.

Provincial Minister for School Education Rana Sikandar Hayat outlined the preparatory work already undertaken, including the provisioning of curriculum textbooks and the development of a more effective system for the evaluation and monitoring of educational quality. However, the Chief Minister raised concerns over the issue of “ghost enrolments” and stressed the importance of tangible measures, such as the establishment of computer labs and libraries, to enhance the learning environment in government schools. She also announced plans to personally visit schools to evaluate progress.

Further discussions at the meeting centered on the rationalization of teacher allocations to fill existing vacancies and the consideration of partnerships with the private sector to manage some of the most challenging non-performing schools. This approach is seen as a crucial step towards ensuring that qualified educators are distributed more equitably across the province, thereby improving the standard of education accessible to all students.

The meeting was attended by Senior Provincial Minister Maryam Aurangzeb, Provincial Information Minister Azma Bokhari, School Education Minister Rana Sikandar Hayat, Former Senator Parvez Rashid, MPA Sania Ashiq, the Chief Secretary, and other relevant officials, highlighting the wide-ranging support for this ambitious project within the provincial government.