PESHAWAR: Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi has directed authorities to release Rs500 million for the establishment of an interdisciplinary research centre in the province.

He issued these directives while chairing a high-level meeting on education sector reforms at the Chief Minister’s House, according to an official statement issued here on Monday.

The meeting reviewed progress on the ongoing reforms and deliberated on the proposed policy and structural interventions aimed at strengthening the education sector.

The forum also endorsed a proposal to establish community schools in remote and underserved areas to accelerate improvements in literacy rates.

Participants agreed on the expansion of the double-shift school programme and the introduction of IT and Artificial Intelligence courses.

The chief minister said that a dedicated follow-up session should be convened to further refine the proposals and finalise an actionable implementation roadmap at the earliest.

He noted that over the past five to six months, the provincial government had maintained a focused emphasis on the health and education sectors, yielding encouraging initial results.

Mr Afridi said that both sectors are directly linked to public welfare and human development outcomes. He emphasised that the provincial government was investing in human capital in line with the vision of ruling PTI’s founder Imran Khan.

“Transforming the education sector through comprehensive and systemic reforms remains a central priority, with a firm commitment to ensuring that no child is deprived of their fundamental right to education.”

The chief minister also ordered the constitution of a coordination committee comprising relevant stakeholders to oversee implementation and ensure effective follow-through on agreed initiatives.

The participants expressed satisfaction with the ongoing reforms, including the e-transfer policy, implementation of a uniform curriculum, adoption of the semester system, enhanced monitoring mechanisms, teacher training initiatives, school-based assessments, virtual schooling and the rollout of AI-focused courses.

Also, the meeting reviewed the proposed framework aimed at improving literacy rates, promoting modern educational trends, and ensuring equitable access to education for all children.

Published in Dawn, April 21st, 2026