PESHAWAR: The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government has allocated Rs 341.58 million to enhance the capacity of teachers in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) education.
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 of Higher Education, Dr Israr, briefed the meeting on key developments, achievements, and future plans of the department.
During the briefing, it was informed that the Finance Department has released Rs. 325 million for the Insaf Female and Orphan Education Card initiative. Under this program, more than 55,000 students have benefited so far, receiving financial relief in the form of fee concessions through the education card.
The meeting was also apprised that recruitment for 2,110 positions in degree colleges has already been advertised, against which 36,585 applications have been received. Furthermore, a total allocation of Rs. 10 billion has been earmarked for public sector universities, out of which Rs. 6.5 billion has been released so far in two phases.
It was shared that, on the directives of the Higher Education Department, four job fairs were organised across the province, during which various companies conducted interviews of more than 1,000 students, providing them with employment opportunities.
To enhance the capacity of teachers in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) education, an amount of Rs. 341.58 million has been allocated. Under this initiative, 2,250 master trainers will be trained to improve the quality of STEM education in the province.
Addressing the meeting, Minister Meena Khan Afridi directed that public libraries across Khyber Pakhtunkhwa be modernised to meet contemporary educational needs. He announced that 18 public libraries will be renovated for Rs. 250 million to provide a better learning environment for students and the general public.
The Minister further instructed that a request be submitted for convening a Board of Governors (BoG) meeting to resolve the principal-related issue of Edwardes College. He emphasised that the provincial government is fully committed to reforms, transparency, and strengthening the higher education sector to ensure sustainable development and improved access to quality education.
Read also: KP cabinet approves creation of new district
