ISLAMABAD, May 7: Education Minister Zobaida Jalal on Wednesday said the government would soon constitute a regulatory framework to monitor the curricula, fee structure and standard of private educational institutions.

Talking to the agency, she said the ministry had sent a proposal to the law ministry to evolve a regulatory framework to monitor the fee structure, curricula and standard of private educational institutions.

She said an incentive package would be offered to non-profit private schools such as provision of land, setting up of zones in urban areas and rationalisation of these institutions. Zobaida said the government would financially support the registered Madaris for a period of three years.

She said Madaris were also a part of the educational programme and Rs1,324 million had been proposed to be spent on Madaris during the coming fiscal year to bring these institutions into the mainstream.

“When we talk about quality education, we also have Madaris in our mind. We cannot ignore these institutions and would insist them to teach certain subjects like mathematics, science and English at lower level and economics at higher level,” she said.

She said the three-year financial assistance programme to the Madaris would help increase literacy rate by expanding education programme and added the number of Madaris seeking support was increasing.

Zobaida said the prime minister had instructed that all districts should have at least one polytechnic institute. Initially, this programme would be started at district level and later expanded at Tehsil level, she said and added that curricula for this programme had been prepared.

She said the government would also ensure linkage between polytechnic institutes and industries so that students of such institutes were employed in the industry.

She said with the completion of this programme, every district in the country would have ten “Third Stream High Schools” to impart technical education.

About prospects of higher education for students joining the Third Stream, the minister said, they would be able to continue their higher studies in all fields except medicine, as they would not be taught biology. She said almost 90 per cent work on the project had been completed and would start functioning from the next academic session. — APP