PESHAWAR: The higher education department is establishing 56 new colleges including 28 for women having capacity of enrolling 48,000 students in different districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

A progress review meeting held here on Monday with Chief Minister Mahmood Khan in the chair was told that the colleges would be completed during the next three years.

The meeting was informed that 14 colleges including eight for girls and six for boys were made operational while 35 colleges would be made functional by the end of the current year. Around 30,000 students, both boys and girls, would be enrolled in those colleges, said an official statement.

Minister for Higher Education Kamran Bangash, Higher Education Secretary Dawood Khan and relevant officials attended the meeting. The meeting was briefed about the new colleges to be established in the province and progress made so far on development activities being carried out in the existing colleges of the province.

It was told that 10 colleges including four for girls and six for boys would be made functional in tribal districts. Around 8,600 students from tribal districts would be enrolled in those colleges.

Officials said that new blocks were being established to launch BS programme in different colleges of the province. So far BS programme has been launched in 120 colleges of the province.

Recruitment process against 1,900 newly-created positions of lecturers is also in progress to overcome the shortage of teaching staff of in colleges on priority basis. The meeting was told that a feasibility study was also underway for solarisation of colleges in tribal districts.

The chief minister directed the quarters concerned to submit proposals for solarisation of colleges in settled districts so that supply of uninterrupted electricity could be made possible to the educational institutions.

He ordered them to have special focus on the projects that were due for completion. He termed quality education priority of government and said that all available resources were being utilised to overcome shortage of teaching staff in the colleges on priority. He directed the quarters concerned to take necessary steps to launch second shift in colleges as well where needed.

Published in Dawn, January 25th, 2022