PESHAWAR, Feb 17: The NWFP government would need an amount of Rs 99 billion to implement its recently prepared education plan aiming to ensure that all children in NWFP have access to free primary education by 2015, said official sources.

The draft plan has been prepared by the Literacy and Schools Department of the provincre as part of the federal government's programme to ensure education for all by 2015, in line with its commitment given at the World Education Forum at Dakkar in 2000.

"Though the province still does not know where it would generate funds for the programme, it has, at least, chalked out its plan to achieve the goal of expanding its education programme," said an officer of the provincial government.

The plan seeks the enrolment of 100 per cent boys at the primary level by 2010 and 100 per cent girls by 2015, increasing the net participation rate at the primary schools level from 59 per cent in 2002 to 71 per cent in 2005, 90 per cent in 2010 and taking it to 100 per cent by 2015.

Official sources said that NWFP's draft Education For All (EFA) plan was granted approval by the provincial EFA forum, consisting of representatives from a cross-section of society, in its meeting held on December 23, last and the same would shortly be tabled before the provincial cabinet for approval.

The broad objectives of the plan includes expanding and improving early childhood care and education, ensuring access to free education for all children, ensuring that the learning needs of all young people and adults be met, eliminating gender disparities in primary and secondary education by 2005, achieving gender equality in education by 2015 and improving quality of education.

It seeks to enrol some 560,000 boys aged 5 to 9 years by 2010 and 900,000 girls of the same age by 2015. Out of the total amount required to implement the plan, an investment of Rs 72 billion has been estimated to be made in the primary education sector, Rs 16 billion in the adult literacy sector and an other amount of Rs 10.9 billion would be required for the plan's component of early childhood education.

"Following its approval by the provincial cabinet, the provincial forum would contact donor agencies including the international lending institutes and the federal government for getting financial support to help the province implement its EFA plan," said a development planner of the province.

The planner said that federal government was expected to extend a helping hand to provinces in fulfilment of its international commitment vis-a-vis ensuring education for all by 2015.

Another official said that the plan sought to increase the provincial government's annual investment in the education sector from the existing level of Rs 2 billion to Rs 10 billion by 2015.

"Substantial increase in the education sector's development expenditure would have to be effected every year to successfully implement the plan," said the official.

The province would need to develop more infrastructure to establish thousands of new schools, facilitate the non- governmental organisations in promoting formal and non-formal education, up-grade a number of existing schools from the primary to middle school level, induct more teachers and other staff and train existing staff to strengthen its human resource base in addition to bringing about major changes in the provincial education sector's rules to improve administrative affairs.

The plan seeks to add 210 new primary schools for girls by 2005, 2387 more by 2010 and some 2877 more by 2015. Similarly, 922 new schools run by NGOs are to be set up for girls by 2005, 1819 more by 2010 and 2192 by 2015.

It looks forward to add 2674 new schools in the private sector by 2005, 5275 more by 2010 and 6358 more by 2015. Substantial increase in the non-formal schools, community schools, vocational centres and deeni madaris has also been underlined under the plan.