ISLAMABAD: As many as 22 schools from the federal capital and eight from various provinces will be upgraded to ‘smart’ schools under the Vision 2025 programme in its first phase.

This upgrade will be made by bringing about reforms in the examination system and curriculum, teacher training and modern education in seminaries. The project will be completed by the year 2017-18.

According to official documents from the Planning Commission, Federal Minister for Planning and Development Ahsan Iqbal on Sunday directed that development work under the education reforms project be expedited and completed by 2018.

He said that according to Vision 2025, it was the federal government’s responsibility to ensure a bright future for the youth through an education revolution.

By establishing a network of higher educational institutions, the present government is increase facilities for the people.

According to Vision 2025, education is a top government priority, and steps to establish universities’ sub-campuses at the district level would prove fruitful for the areas’ development.

Under the smart schools project, these schools will be established at a total cost of Rs200 million, and the same sum has been allocated for the up-gradation of Islamabad’s schools.

Rs30.3 million will be spent to introduce reforms to the education system, and Rs60.5 million will be spent on reforming the national curriculum council.

An amount of Rs40 million will be spent on teacher training and the national award scheme, while Rs30.4 million will be spent on mainstreaming seminaries.

The federal government has also initiated a project worth Rs4.58 billion, under which a campus or sub-campus of various universities would be established in various districts.

For development in the education sector throughout the country, under the Public Sector Development Programme, a total of Rs21.5 billion have been allocated to the Higher Education Commission, while Rs20 billion have been allocated to the Prime Minister’s Education Reforms Programme and Skills Development Programme.

Published in Dawn, August 22nd, 2016