Chief Minister Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Amir Haider Khan Hoti has termed intelligent students as future and bright face of the country.
Addressing scholarships distribution ceremony under SDPK program among top ten position holders under entire educational boards of the province at CM House on Wednesday, the Chief Minister said being a nation, we could not overlook our future.
He said promotion of education was the only way to battle unemployment, poverty and extremism mindset.
He said that support and encouragement to intelligent children of poor parents enrolled to government school was the prior responsibility of the government in order they should also get education and dispensate their future duties.
He said that educated mother was the guarantee of developed society.
Provincial Education Minister, Sardar Hussain Babak, Provincial Minister for Higher Education Qazi Asad, Provincial Minister Hidayat Ullah, Provincial Information Minister Mian Iftikhar Hussain, Chairman Provincial Assembly Standing Committee on Education, MPA Jafer Shah, higher authorities Education Department, Chairman BISE Peshawar Professor Shafi Ullah, Chairman Technical Board Professor Nasir Ali, Chairmen other Education Boards, Scholarship holders and their parents were also present on the occasion.
He said that presence of these bright stars, their parents and teachers was an honor for this house. He said that parents, nation and the government have high hopes on these intelligent students and they ought to shine name of their parents, teachers and the province. He said that people from middle and lower classes find difficult to bear educational expenditures of their children and nobody can feel this.
He said that the present government has launched Stori Da Pakhtunkhwa program last year for providing opportunities to students of government schools to continue their education, added, under the program, 10 topers from each educational board of the province in S.S.C (Science/Arts), F.A & F.Sc have been given Rs. 10,000, and 15,000 as monthly scholarship.
He said that it was not a favor upon them rather it was their right. He said that these scholarships will help create environment of healthy competition in government schools and this process will be kept moving and no future government can halt it.
He said that education was the only way forward to defeat complex challenges like unemployment, poverty and extremism mindset.
He said that nothing can betray education youth. He said that process of distribution of laptops among intelligent students will commence by end of next month and Rs. 1 billion has been allocated to the program.
He said that educational expenditures of children enrolled to quality private schools in far flung and backward areas having no government schools., will be bear by the provincial government added, 100 private institutes were selected last year while 400 more schools will be selected this year.
Regarding women education, the chief minister said that there was no second opinion on developed society dependent on educated mother. He said that, this sector was overlooked in the past but the present government has allocated 70% of resources to girl’s education. He said that last year, no girls appeared in S.S.C exam in district Tor Ghar which was matter of concern, added, bearing this in view, the government launched a program for motivating girls to education in Tor Ghar and Rs. 1500 as monthly scholarships to families of girls in class I-V and Rs. 2000 to families of girls in grade VI-X.
He said that funds through PTC (Parents Teachers Councils) as conditional grants will be distributed for provision of missing facilities in primary schools with assistance of donors, and Rs. 1 billion has been allocated for implementation on the scheme in other districts after Bunir and Dera.
The Chief Minister said that role of teacher was central and its responsibilities as builder of nation were secret to none.
Hoti also highlighted the importance of higher education and said that the funds to this sector have been boosted to Rs. 5 billion. He said that there were 136 colleges in the province by 2008 out of which 46 were for Girls.
He said that the present government established 72 colleges in its tenure out of which 46 were for girls and 26 for boys.
He said that 10 universities in public sector were established during the past 60 years but the present government has established eight new universities upon completion of five years. He said that campuses of AWKUM have also been established in different districts including Chitral. He said that the real objective of Rokhana Pakhtunkhwa will be achieved through special initiatives of the government and joint efforts of teachers, students and their parents.
