PESHAWAR, Jan 9: The elementary and secondary education department has devised a comprehensive strategy to shoulder new responsibilities after devolution of education sector to the province following the passage of 18th Constitution Amendment. According to official documents, responsibilities related to curriculum, syllabus, planning, policy, standards of education and provision of compulsory education to all children from five to 16 years of age have been shifted to the provincial education department in the wake of 18th amendment.

“The department needs to enhance capacity for curriculum development, make changes in the laws to provide free and compulsory education to children aging five to 16 years, formulate additional legislation required for curriculum and enhance capacity building of Directorate of Curriculum and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Textbook Board,” officials said.

They said that education department accelerated work on enacting new laws and amending the existing ones following the passage of the 18th amendment.

“Currently several laws are in the pipeline including 'The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Supervision of Curricula, Textbooks and Maintenance of Standards of Education Bill' and 'The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Compulsory Education Bill.' Few other laws have also been drafted and sent for vetting to the law department,” an official told Dawn .

He said that new statute regarding provision of compulsory education in the province had also been drafted. The department will revamp and strengthen its existing setup and its attached departments to take care of new responsibilities.

The Directorate of Curriculum and Teachers' Education (DCTE), Provincial Institute of Teachers Education (PITE), Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Textbook Board and Education Sector Reforms Unit (ESRU) would be assigned the added responsibilities related to curriculum, syllabus, compulsory education, development of provincial education policies and plans, etc.

DCTE Director Attaullah Khan, when contacted, said that they were planning to establish curricula wing at DCTE. “The wing will consist of experts from DCTE, textbook board and PITE to cope with challenges of developing curricula, syllabus and standards of education,” he said.

He added that a proposal was sent to the department concerned to provide accommodation, offices and supporting staff to the experts of the curricula wing.

The elementary and secondary department would also continue to sustain the on-going programmes, initiated on the advice of Federal Ministry of Education. The department is already following the Nation Education Policy 2009, which deems to benefit this province, according to official documents.

The department has already developed Education Sector Plan (2008-09 to 2015-16) which would be implemented through provincial resources and maximum efforts would be made to get assistance from donors and partners.