LAHORE: Punjab Education Minister Rana Mashhood says Rs1.80 billion funds have been released to district governments for up-grading state-run schools in the province.

Speaking in the Punjab Assembly during Question Hour and later talking to the media here on Monday, he said Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif had instructed all the district coordination officers (DCOs) to consult the parliamentarians concerned in the district coordination committees, whether from opposition or treasury, for up-grading the schools, appointing watchmen and constructing their boundary walls where necessary.

The minister said 30,000 classrooms would be built in schools under the ongoing missing facilities project, while during the next three months boundary walls of all schools would be completed.

He said provision of missing facilities in all 60,000 state-run boys and girls schools in the province would be ensured by the end of current financial year.

Mr Mashhood said development funds for schools would be utilised through School Councils and elite of the area would be part of these bodies to monitor the quality and timely completion of the development works.

A mechanism, he said, had also been evolved for registration and regulation of private schools under which a Regulatory Commission would be set up and a bill to the effect would be tabled in the House next month.

The House was scheduled to discuss law and order situation in the province. But the open debate had to be put off for law minister Mujtaba Shujaur Rehman’s absence from the House because of death of his aunt, while home minister Shuja Khanzada and the relevant parliamentary secretary were also not available.

Two call attention notices also met the same fate as House proceedings were adjourned for Tuesday morning prematurely.

Published in Dawn, December 23rd, 2014