LAHORE: The Punjab government claimed on Wednesday to have increased enrollment in public schools from 242,000 to 368,000 and number of teachers from 8,037 to 15,114 across the province under Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz’s Public School Organisation Programme.

According to a news release, the programme is going on successfully as better-educated youth are in the management of the public schools.

School Education Department (SED) authorities briefed the chief minister in a meeting and said that the number of students has increased from 242,000 to 368,000 while the number of teachers across the province has increased from 8,037 to 15,114 after the first phase of the school reorganization programme.

They added that the salary of teachers in government schools under private management has increased threefold.

They also said that 35 new classrooms have been built and renovation of 459 others has been completed under the new management in a few months.

She was also briefed that the number of chairs and desks for students has increased from 371,000 to 523,000.

The CM was further briefed by the authorities that new and latest computer labs have been built in schools under self-help model after outsourcing and 110 new toilets have been built, while 2,762 others have been been repaired.

They added that boundary walls had been erected and water supply to 158 schools have been restored by installing 1,389 water pumps.

Published in Dawn, March 13th, 2025