PESHAWAR: Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Ali Amin Khan Gandapur said on Monday that his government would soon initiate the process to recruit 16,000 teachers in the elementary and secondary education sector to meet teachers’ shortage. He said ‘complete transparency and merit’ would be ensured in the recruitment process.

He was addressing a graduation ceremony organised by the elementary and secondary education department at the Nishtar Hall here on Monday.

Mr Gandapur said that Alternate Learning Pathways (ALP) programme was an integral part of the provincial government’s strategy. Cabinet members Faisal Khan Tarakai, Major retired Mohammad Sajjad, Syed Qasim Ali Shah, Zahid Chanzeb, government officials, representatives from partner organisations, students and teachers attended the ceremony, according to a statement issued here.

Under the ALP initiative, 1,267 centres have been established in 27 districts of the province, imparting formal and informal education to 42,644 students, with 62,000 students having completed their education so far.

Mr Gandapur said that the main objective behind launching ALP initiative was to provide educational opportunities to those children, who were out of school and could not be enrolled in formal schools for being over-aged.

He said his government was working on introducing an education card, prioritising the merged districts and other backward areas of the province. He said that girls’ students in merged districts were being provided with a monthly stipend to improve literacy rate in the region. Mr Gandapur also distributed certificates to students, who completed the ALP cycle of education.

“The provincial government has also decided to provide desks and chairs in all government schools to ensure that no child has to sit without proper seating arrangement,” he said.

The chief minister emphasised that providing educational opportunities to children was the state’s responsibility, and the provincial government would go all-out to fulfill this responsibility effectively. He said: “Our primary goal is to provide people with access to quality education and healthcare, not just construct buildings. As construction of school buildings takes time, we have chalked out a policy to start schooling in rented buildings immediately to avoid any delays and ensure that children’s time is not wasted.”

He further emphasised that the provincial government was paying special attention to girls’ education because educated mothers can build an educated nation.

He encouraged students not to give up on their goals due to a single failure but to foster a passion for achievement and move forward with determination.

Published in Dawn, November 5th, 2024