DLP Report
MARDAN
Secretary Elementary and Secondary Education Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Khalid Khan said on Thursday that the province’s ongoing school enrollment campaign is on track to surpass all previous records, with more than 600,000 children already enrolled and millions more expected to join government schools by September.
Addressing an Open Public Forum (Khuli Kachehri) at the Mardan Board, he dismissed what he called “baseless negative propaganda” surrounding the drive, saying the current enrollment figures significantly exceed those recorded during the same period last year.
“The pace of enrollment temporarily slows during the summer, but it gains momentum after the vacations and with the start of September,” Mr Khan said. “I am confident we will witness a record increase by September and surpass the targets set by the government.”
The forum was attended by the Director Education, District Education Officers (Male and Female), education officials, teachers and a large number of citizens who presented concerns and suggestions regarding the education sector. The secretary directed the relevant authorities to ensure timely resolution of the issues.
Highlighting government initiatives, he said more than Rs7 billion had been released for the provision of furniture in government schools. “Billions of rupees have also been allocated under Parent-Teacher Council funds, and every government school currently has substantial funds in its PTC account to meet local needs,” he added.
On staffing, Mr Khan said the issue of regularization of teachers recruited in 2022 would be resolved soon, as the relevant summary had already been submitted to the provincial cabinet for approval.
To address overcrowding, he said billions of rupees had been earmarked for the construction of new classrooms in view of the rising number of students.
The secretary also announced a new semester-wise textbook distribution system to end the longstanding shortage and ensure timely delivery of books to students.
He further said the government was focusing on holistic education through student camping programmes, with a target to provide camping opportunities to 100,000 students next year for extracurricular, leadership and character-building activities.
Mr Khan thanked teachers, officials and participants, and reaffirmed the government’s commitment to using all available resources to improve educational facilities and ensure access to education for every child in the province.
