PESHAWAR, April 24: NWFP Minister for Education Fazle Ali has informed the provincial assembly that government would reopen all the elementary colleges to improve the standard of education in the province.

The provincial assembly met here on Thursday with Speaker Bakht Jahan Khan Advocate in the chair.

He was responding to a call attention notice of Muzaffar Saeed Khan about the nominal allocation of budget for education, closing of elementary colleges, non availability of furniture and shortages of teaching staff in government schools.

The education minister told the house that efforts were being made on emergency basis to enhance education budget and remove the others deficiencies in this sector.

He said recruitments of teachers on contract basis would be started very soon, adding that in the larger interest of the students all the elementary colleges of the province would also be reopened.

Farid Khan pointed out that no nation could become developed and successful without education, adding that according to UN study, at least five per cent of the budget should be allocated to education sector.

Mukhtiar Ali in his call attention notice informed the house that Adeena-Lahore road in district Swabi was in a dilapidated condition, adding that heavy rush of vehicular traffic, particularly for Buner and Swat districts passed through this road. He demanded the construction of the road on emergency basis. Abdul Majid Khan also supported the mover.

Minister for Parliamentary Affairs Malik Zafar Azam told the house the government had allocated Rs86.950 million for the said road and included the project in the ADP of 2003-04. He assured the house that construction work on it would be started very soon.

On a call attention notice of Saeed Gul about stoppage of salaries of 16 class four employees at the DHQ hospital Dir, Health Minister Inayat Ullah told the house that the government would soon settle the issue.

Mian Nisar Gul in his call attention notice pointed out towards the less number of girls schools at tehsil Karak and Chaunthra. He also thanked Chief Minister Akram Khan Durrani for announcing eight middle schools for Karak district during his recent visit.

Dr. Zakir Ullah Khan did not press his call attention notice about the falling of old and dried trees near the roads and canals.

The house referred the adjournment motion of Abdul Akbar Khan to the house committee for local government. The mover in his motion drew the attention of the house towards the differences between the provincial government and district governments. Speaker Bakht Jahan Khan adjourned the house till Friday.—APP