MUZAFFARABAD: The Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) government will unveil a comprehensive education package by the middle of next month to address the needs of all educational institutions across the region without any distinction.

This was announced by Minister for Higher EducationZafar Iqbal Malikon at the groundbreaking ceremony of the additional administrative block of the Fatima Jinnah Girls Postgraduate College hostel in downtown Muzaffarabad.

Mr Malik said the coalition government had prioritised the education sector, fulfilling staff and equipment requirements in intermediate and degree colleges and allocating over Rs500 million to provide buses and other facilities for students in boys’ and girls’ colleges across all districts of AJK.

He noted that the performance of girls’ institutions, including the postgraduate college, was better than that of boys, adding that the hostel’s new administrative block, worth millions of rupees, would soon be completed with over ten rooms already nearing readiness within the stipulated five months.

The minister assured that issues highlighted by the college principal would be resolved at the earliest, while facilities such as an auditorium, sports and recreational resources for female students would be prioritised in the forthcoming education package.

Highlighting broader reforms, Mr Malik said billions of rupees were being spent under his ministry to meet the needs of educational institutions across the region on a merit basis.

He explained that earlier court restrictions had delayed appointments in colleges and schools, but these were now being addressed.

He disclosed that more than7,000 gazetted and non-gazetted postswere currently vacant in the education sector, half of which were already under recruitment through tests and interviews.

“Soon, the staff requirements of our colleges will largely be fulfilled,” he said, thanking AJK’s superior judiciary, particularly the Supreme Court, for issuing timely directions that facilitated these measures.

Published in Dawn, August 31st, 2025