PESHAWAR, April 5: NWFP Minister for Science and Information Technology Hussain Ahmad Kanju has said that a legislation to set up an education regulatory authority is in final stages and another law to control and regulate net cafés is also on anvil.

The proposed authority would ensure efficient monitoring of public and private sector IT universities and institutions, he said while addressing a press conference here on Wednesday. The minister said that 12 IT projects were being completed at a cost of Rs55 million and more such projects for the year 2006-07 were under consideration.

He said the Punjab and Sindh were annually spending Rs800 million and 750 million respectively on the sector but the NWFP’s IT department had only Rs55 million for its projects.

“Despite all this, the performance our IT department is better than those of the two provinces and it is working to introduce e-governance in the province,” he said, adding that work on computerization of government departments to ensure more transparency was in progress.

Mr Kanju said that the MMA government had planned to launch a virtual teaching project for students of remote and hilly areas of the province. For the first phase of the plan, science subjects’ specialists were preparing CDs which would be used for teaching through multi-media devices.

He said computers, printers and multi-media devices would be provided to schools by the government.

Mr Kanju said that a project for computer engineers had also been launched under which 50 best students of the province had been given free MCSE training and provided books and CDs. Similarly, he said, during the next financial year work would be undertaken to set up a centre of excellence where students of IT graduating from universities would receive practical training.

Referring to steps taken for promotion of computer literacy, the minister said that 169 computer labs had been approved by the federal government for public sector schools. Besides the provincial government has approved 40 computer labs for boys and girls schools.

He said web hosting services had been launched and administrative secretaries and departments had been given free Internet and email facilities for effective coordination.

He said a web portal was providing updated information about the provincial government and its departments.