SWABI, March 16: NWFP Education Minister Maulana Fazal Ali said on Saturday that a new education policy would be announced in April.

Speaking at the oath-taking ceremony of various unions, he said the provincial government had given top priority to imparting modern and religious education. He said the education policy would focus on  boosting the standard and prevalence of education.

Without modern education the dream of prosperity and development could not materialize, he said. He said religious education was a key to character building.

He said the NWFP government already provided all those facilities to the contract employees which were enjoyed by regular employees, except pension. However, if the financial position of the government strengthened the contract employees would also be awarded the facility, he said.

He said a plan for appointment of Qaris and theology teachers in the government primary schools was under consideration. He said the posts had been restored in schools and efforts were under way to increase those.

He said the government degree college here had been upgraded to postgraduate level  and  efforts were under way to start MA and MSc classes  in government college, Chota Lahore, and the PC-1 of the Karnal Sher cadet  college had been finalized.

The minister said a district library had been sanctioned, construction of the Mansabdar High School had been ordered, construction of six rooms of Karnal Sher High School had been recommended and a girls’ degree college at Zaida and a boys’ college at Yarhusain would be constructed soon.

Provincial Health Minister Inayatullah Khan said the Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal government would bring revolutionary changes in all  departments but the people had to cooperate with it.

He said the government had decided to provide free treatment to the patients of heart diseases, jaundice, cancer and other serious ailments. He said a gynaecologist and an orthopaedic specialist would be transferred to the district headquarters hospital the hospital complex in Shamansoor would be completed soon. He urged the district government to accelerate the pace of work.

NWFP Labour minister Malik Zafar Azam said there was a need for constitutional changes because the law had been exploited by the affluent class.