DLP Report
PESHAWAR
A high-level meeting chaired by Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Minister for Higher Education and Local Government, Meena Khan Afridi, was held to review the overall performance and ongoing initiatives of the Higher Education Department.
The newly appointed Secretary Higher Education, Dr. Israr, briefed the meeting on key developments, achievements, and future plans of the department. The meeting was informed that the Finance Department has released Rs 325 million for the Insaf Female and Orphan Education Card initiative, under which more than 55,000 students have so far benefited through fee concessions.
It was also shared that recruitment for 2,110 positions in degree colleges has been advertised, attracting 36,585 applications. Additionally, a total of Rs 10 billion has been allocated for public sector universities, out of which Rs 6.5 billion has already been released in two phases.
The briefing highlighted that, on the directives of the Higher Education Department, four job fairs were organized across the province. During these events, various companies conducted interviews of over 1,000 students, providing them with employment opportunities.
To strengthen Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) education, Rs. 341.58 million has been allocated for teacher capacity building. Under this initiative, 2,250 master trainers will be trained to improve the quality of STEM education across the province.
Addressing the meeting, Minister Meena Khan Afridi directed that public libraries throughout Khyber Pakhtunkhwa be modernized in line with contemporary educational requirements. He announced that 18 public libraries will be renovated at a cost of Rs. 250 million to create an improved learning environment for students and the general public.
The Minister further instructed officials to submit a request for convening a Board of Governors (BoG) meeting to resolve the principal-related issue of Edwardes College. He reaffirmed that the provincial government remains fully committed to reforms, transparency, and strengthening the higher education sector to ensure sustainable development and enhanced access to quality education.
