Enrollment of 1.1m out-of-school children: CM Maryam sets unique record in Punjab

LAHORE: Chief Minister Punjab Maryam Nawaz Sharif chaired a special meeting of the School Education Department for a detailed briefing on the existing and proposed projects of school education. She was briefed by the authorities concerned, “Outsourcing of more than 11,000 schools has been completed in Punjab, and the enrollment of children has increased manifold.” She congratulated Minister of Education on the enrollment of 1.1 Million Out-of-School children under Punjab Education Foundation.

Madam Chief Minister directed School Management Councils to provide necessary facilities in schools worth Rs 10 billion within 90 days. She also directed them to build required classrooms in all schools within a year, and said, “Repair 580 most dilapidated and 2770 precarious school buildings.” She added, “Construction and repair of schools is among our top priorities.”

Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif set a target of spoken English training of five lakh children of government schools from English trainers. She directed the relevant authorities to expand the scope of school meal program to other districts and tehsils keeping in view number of children suffering from malnutrition there.

She also directed them to build Nawaz Sharif School of Eminence for girls and boys in every district, and set a target of upgrading 1750 schools in five years. She was briefed, “Upgradation of 250 schools will be done in the next financial year, and 300 Tech-Ed schools will be built in 10 tehsils of Punjab.” They added, “Construction and repair of 195 classrooms, and roofs of 397 rooms in outsourced schools will be carried out.”

Madam Chief Minister was also apprised,”254538 square feet of boundary wall, 414 toilets and 1543 water tanks were constructed in outsourced schools in the province.” She said, “IT and science lab, library, multipurpose playground, smart board and other modern facilities will be available in Nawaz Sharif School of Eminence.” She also reviewed the project of Nawaz Sharif Centre of Excellence for Early Child Education, and was presented with a project of constructing boundary wall, 4066 toilets, 8488 furniture and 100 water filtration plants in 4327 schools across Punjab.

Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif said, “STEM labs will be built on SMC model in Punjab schools.” She added, “I want to do a lot of work for the education of children.” She underscored, “Every school will have all necessary facilities including toilets.” She flagged, “Steps are being taken to install solar systems in schools.”

Copyright Business Recorder, 2025