LAHORE, Oct 19: The government will spend Rs16.454 billion on 22 school education promotion projects in Punjab during the current financial year.

Senior Minister Raja Riaz Ahmad said this while speaking at a workshop on school education here on Sunday.

The minister said that funds were being utilized on current and 11 new projects aimed at raising the education standard and to attract dropouts to return to schools by offering them various incentives.

Giving a detail of projects, he said that Rs42.80 million were being spent on accelerated program for school education, Rs2.5 billion for Punjab Education Sector Reforms Program, Rs2 billion on accelerated program for school education for girls, Rs1.91 million for accelerated program for school education for boys, Rs1 billion for education priority program and Rs3,630 million for model schools program.

The minister said that this program would also help raise the standard of education besides providing missing facilities in public sector schools.

He said the education was the basic human right of every citizen and the government was committed to providing quality education to all.

The workshop was also addressed by several experts who presented their proposals for the promotion of education and raising its standard.