PM orders free lunch programme and overhaul of Islamabad government schools
Shehbaz Sharif tells Planning Minister Ahsan Iqbal to settle infrastructure, curriculum and teacher-training issues within a set timeframe, with smart boards ordered in every school.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has ordered a free lunch programme for Islamabad's government schools and a sweep of reforms covering infrastructure, curriculum, teacher training and student facilities, chairing a high-level meeting on the quality of education in the federal capital. ProPakistani and ARY News both reported the directives.
Sharif asked Federal Minister for Planning, Development and Special Initiatives Ahsan Iqbal to ensure that all identified issues were resolved within the stipulated timeframe. Neither outlet reported what that deadline is, and no cost estimate was given for the lunch programme or the other measures.
On infrastructure, the prime minister directed authorities to mobilise available resources and address problems on an emergency basis, saying the government must provide students with a safe and suitable learning environment. He ordered smart boards installed in all government schools at the earliest, and a comprehensive strategy to turn the Federal Directorate of Education into a more effective and efficient institution.
He said government school teachers should focus solely on teaching and educational activities rather than being assigned unrelated duties, and directed that teacher recruitment be carried out strictly on merit.
To widen access to education, Sharif called for expanding the government school bus service and for outsourcing student transportation, subject to third-party validation. Officials told the meeting that 278 government buses are operating across Islamabad to carry students to government schools.
The prime minister also directed officials to promote solar energy in government schools, install ramps in all institutions to facilitate students with physical disabilities, and provide quality medical facilities.
Officials briefed the meeting that most government schools in Islamabad already have basic facilities, including internet connectivity, clean drinking water and computer laboratories, but that a survey had identified infrastructure-related problems in some institutions. ARY News reported that the meeting was held on Wednesday.
Neither report said which schools would be covered first by the lunch programme, when it would begin, or how it would be paid for.
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