DLP Report
PESHAWAR
The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government has planned to introduce a skill development programme for students and teachers of religious seminaries to equip them with modern technical and digital skills and improve their employment prospects.
Adviser to the provincial government on Auqaf, Religious and Minority Affairs, and Zakat and Ushr, Maulana Tayyab Qureshi, said modern skills were essential for madrassa students to complement their religious education and enable them to play a constructive role in society.
He expressed these views while chairing a meeting on the proposed capacity-building and skill development programme for madrassa students and teachers.
The meeting was attended by Secretary Auqaf Muhammad Idrees, Chairman Mutahidda Ulema Board Maulana Ehsan-ul-Haq and representatives of various madrassa boards.
Participants were briefed on the objectives, scope and proposed activities of the initiative, which will cover seven merged districts and seven settled divisions of the province and benefit 8,410 participants. Of these, 2,690 will be from the merged districts and 5,720 from the settled districts.
The programme envisages educational study tours for students, professional training for teachers, improvement of administrative capacity, extracurricular activities, digital skills development, awareness sessions, interfaith dialogue and an Ulama conference. It will also include study tours for teachers.
Mr Qureshi directed the relevant authorities to ensure transparency and merit at every stage of the programme. He particularly stressed that female students should be provided equal opportunities to participate in its activities.
He said madrassa students should be equipped with practical and marketable skills alongside their academic and religious education to help them secure respectable employment, become economically self-reliant and contribute to national development.
He also emphasised the need for professional training of teachers, intellectual and practical development of young people, promotion of positive social attitudes and strengthening of interfaith harmony.
The adviser directed the concerned authorities to ensure effective coordination and consultation for the transparent and timely implementation of the programme, adding that its activities should produce tangible benefits for madrassa students.
Meanwhile, Maulana Tayyab Qureshi has formally assumed charge of the Zakat and Ushr Department.
On the occasion, he thanked the governor of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa for entrusting him with the additional responsibility and pledged to work towards improving the department’s performance and making its welfare initiatives more effective.
He said all available resources would be utilised to strengthen public service delivery and ensure better implementation of the department’s welfare programmes.
