Quetta,(Parliament Times): Mir Sarfraz Bugti, Chief Minister of Balochistan, on Monday announced that the provincial government has decided to introduce major reforms to overcome educational backwardness in the province.
He made these remarks while chairing a meeting on preparations for the upcoming fiscal year’s budget, where officials discussed a comprehensive strategy to improve the education sector and bring out-of-school children into the formal education system.
During the meeting, Shakeel Qadir Khan, Chief Secretary of Balochistan, gave a detailed briefing on the key features of the proposed budget for the next financial year. He informed participants that a five-year comprehensive programme has been proposed to enroll out-of-school children across the province so that a maximum number of students can be brought into educational institutions.
The meeting also decided that 679 primary schools and 409 middle schools would be upgraded under the next fiscal year’s budget. Officials said the upgrading of nearly 1,000 schools would significantly reduce the educational imbalance that has developed over the past 15 years.
Participants also reviewed a proposal to provide a reasonable monthly stipend to female students in order to promote girls’ education and improve their attendance in schools.
In addition, the Planning and Development Department presented a detailed briefing on 308 departmental development schemes with an estimated cost of Rs174 billion.
Speaking on the occasion, Chief Minister Mir Sarfraz Bugti said that reforms in the education sector remain the government’s top priority, stressing that it is the state’s responsibility to ensure every child attends school. He added that education, healthcare, and the provision of basic facilities would be given priority in the next fiscal year’s budget.
The chief minister noted that investing in education is an investment in the bright future of Balochistan. He said the government is taking practical steps to modernize educational facilities so that the province’s youth can benefit from better opportunities.
He further emphasized that improving educational institutions in remote areas of the province is also a key priority, adding that all relevant departments must work in close coordination to bring sustainable improvements to the education sector.