PESHAWAR, Feb 25: A meeting on Monday approved the restructuring of Frontier Education Foundation, enabling it to work as a corporate and independent body.

NWFP Governor Syed Iftikhar Hussain Shah presided over the meeting that was attended by Education Minister Syed Imtiaz Hussain Gilani, Secretary Rashida Malik and others.

The meeting entrusted the FEF to establish five degree colleges — one each in Tangi, Charsadda; Mardan, Haripur, Peshawar and Kohat.

It approved a proposal for providing academic scholarships to the tune of Rs5 million during the first year which would be raised gradually to Rs10 million.

It was decided that FEF would remove deficiencies from 100 government schools annually to be identified in the province by the government. FEF will provide loans not only for strengthening private educational institutions but also for setting up new ones.

The governor said that there should be minimum role of the government functionaries in the working of autonomous institutions. The importance of an effective check-and-balance system, he pointed out, could not be denied but it should not affect the independent role of such institutions. He directed the concerned authorities to activate FEF’s district advisory committees.

Talking about the importance of primary education, he said the government was considering creating another endowment fund exclusively for this sector which would start functioning by the end of the current year. This institution, he added, would have a different role than that of FEF’s. As regards higher education, the governor said that the government was considering starting evening classes in existing colleges.

NGOS WORKING: The governor has stressed the need for an effective regulatory mechanism and accountability process to oversee the working of NGOs and a simplified system for their registration.