HYDERABAD, May 19: District Nazim Makhdoom Rafiquzzaman has said that a top priority will be given to English language in teachers' training courses and mostly English tutors will be hired from the private sector for this purpose.

He was presiding over the 4th meeting of steering committee of education sector reforms assistance at the district Nazim's secretariat on Tuesday. The Nazim said that the ESRA was a US-funded project of three years which was aimed at enhancing the standard of education and literacy rate in Hyderabad district.

He said that the district government had decided that financial assistance of one million US dollars would be utilized for capacity building of teachers, providing basic facilities at all schools and support women education.

He informed that the newly-constructed building of the Monotechnical Institute Tandojam had been selected for teachers training centre where all the latest equipment including audio, video and computer facilities with master trainer would be provided.

He said that 40 teachers of each batch would be selected for each course of three months which would be designed by the local educational experts. While discussing the dropout ratio of students, the district Nazim said that this aspects had also been included in the plan and it had been decided that dropout of students would be arrested by providing books, clothes, nutrition and other incentives to students.

He said that educated women could play vital role in the promotion of education in the society as such component of girls education support programme had been included in the plan and it had been decided that all basic facilities including boundary wall, lavatory, electrification and provision of cold water facilities would be made available specially at all girls schools besides, providing scholarships to talented and deserving girl students in the district.

The Nazim said that many other educational works were being carried out under the enhancing literacy rate programme and school management committees to strengthen the education sector.

He said that the district government had provided building/shelter to all shelterless schools on priority basis as such there was no shelterless school at present in the district.

He also informed that the meeting that supervising system would also be strengthened to achieve desired results and assured that conveyance facilities or conveyance allowance would be provided to supervisors.

Mr Makhdoom made it clear that the district education plan being prepared by the district government would only be implemented when the US assistance of one million US dollars was made available to the district government.

He said that the next meeting of the steering committee would be held after the receipt of US financial assistance. He urged the donating authorities of US for early release of financial assistance so that it could be utilized by Dec 2004.

EDO education Majeed Hur, EDO community development Ibrahim Qureshi, EDO health Agha Tariq, secretary ESRA Qazi Fida and representatives of different NGOs attended the meeting.