PESHAWAR: Chief Minister Mahmood Khan has directed the Technical Education and Vocational Training Authority (Tevta) to take pragmatic measures for reverting to practical examinations from the theoretical system.

Presiding over the 14th board of directors’ meeting here on Friday, the chief minister stressed that the technical institutes should also focus on providing skills along with imparting knowledge keeping in view the market/industrial requirements of the national and international markets.

He said that competency-based testing should be implemented so that students have practical and technical knowledge according to market requirements.

The board approved execution of a scheme included in the Annual Development Programme regarding establishment of government polytechnic institute at Mathra, Peshawar. Estimated cost of the project is Rs17.24 million, said an official statement.

The meeting reviewed decisions made in the previous board of directors meeting. It was informed that 13 of the total 14 decisions had been implemented so far, which included restarting Chief Minister’s Free Technical Education Programme, recruitment on vacant posts at Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Tevta, upgradation of government technical and vocational colleges (GTVC) Chakdara and Matta to the level of government polytechnic institute (GPI), upgradation of Haripur GPI to the level of GCT, activation of government polytechnic institute at Timergara, amendments in KP Tevta regulations and monitoring of its projects, creation of posts for job placement and vocational counseling, etc.

The board of directors accorded approval for the revised budget 2018-19 and proposed budget for the fiscal year 2019-20 which amounted to Rs3.99 billion, including the developmental and operational budget.

The board also approved the PC-I for establishment of the government technical and vocational centre for boys at Bakhshali with a sub-campus at Sawal Dher industrial area, Mardan, with a total cost of Rs120 million and purchase of 10 kanals for establishment of GPI Matta and GTVC Matta.

The meeting approved PC-I for establishing GTVC at Pind Cargo Khan, Abbottabad, with a total cost of Rs159.88 million and six months mandatory training curricula for KP Tevta teaching staff.

The board gave conditional approval of PC-I for establishment of government technical and vocational centre for boys in Bannu with an estimated cost of Rs146.99 million and developmental expenditure of Rs33 million from regular ADP in respect of newly-merged districts.

Published in Dawn, December 7th, 2019