PESHAWAR, July 27: The federal government has issued directives to the NWFP government to stop seeking assistance from the private sector for establishing computer labs at the public sector schools, as the federal education ministry will assist it on the project.

Sources told Dawn on Saturday that the federal education ministry had advised the NWFP government not to involve private parties in the procurement of computers and other accessories for computer labs as the federal government would meet its requirements.

The federal education ministry has already announced that it would provide about 8,000 refurbished computers to the computer labs in the secondary and higher secondary schools of the NWFP. The provincial government in association with the private sector has started a computer literacy programme.