Education is a basic human right. It plays an important role in improving human health by knowing how the world works. Easy access to education is important in all countries, especially in developing countries, where governments have established a strong network to protect and promote the social and economic well-being of their citizens. In an effort to help Pakistan become a more prosperous society, the Punjab Government has launched the Insaf Afternoon Schools Program which will improve thousands of schools and provide better facilities to encourage people to send their children to school.
The Punjab Provincial Department of Education has launched a program to develop more than 8,000 schools in the province in terms of structure as well as their status. The initiative will also create job opportunities for people who pursue their careers in the education sector.
According to Punjab Education Minister Murad Raas, the government has taken the initiative to rehabilitate existing schools because of a dramatic reduction in the number of primary school graduates. The minister added that after conducting an afternoon school inspection program, there was an increase in the number of students, most of whom were girls.
The government through this program will be providing free cost education to students. Students who enroll in these institutions will have to be admitted free of charge and there is no monthly fee for them. In addition, the government will also provide free textbooks for each student to relieve their parents of the responsibility to do so.
FUNDS ALLOCATED INSAF AFTERNOON SCHOOLS PROGRAMME
Budget 2021-22 has provided a lot of money to make educational institutions in Punjab better in terms of buildings and facilities. PKR 856 million has been allocated for the development of girls 'schools while PKR 735 million will be used to improve boys' schools. In addition, a separate PKR 798 million fund has been set aside to provide new facilities to 862 schools. Apart from this, the provincial government has also saved PKR 6.5 billion to spend on evening schools operating under the Insaf Afternoon program.
SCHEDULE OF EVENING CLASSROOMS
In the afternoon schools to be built in various parts of the Punjab, more staff will be needed to teach students. According to a statement issued by the Minister of Education Punjab, 20,000 school teachers will be temporarily employed as students to teach at these schools and the government has also announced compensation.
INSAF SCHOOL PROGRAMME JOBS
Applicants who will be selected to teach on these schools will have to meet certain conditions. The teacher's basic education is set at matric until graduation with a minimum grade two. The age limit for male teachers is set at 20-50 years, and for women 20-55. The teacher recruitment process will begin in July.
The 20,000 teacher staff who will be employed in afternoon schools will be temporary and employed as students so the compensation package is also designed accordingly.
In the first phase of the projects, the Insaf Afternoon Schools Program will be rolled out in six Punjab districts namely Gujranwala, Dera Ghazi Khan, Rahim Yar Khan, Sialkot, Mianwali and Rajanpur. Once successfully implemented in these six districts, the scope of the project will be expanded and 36 districts will be included in the program. According to government estimates, about 3-3.5 million students will be enrolled in the school and the focus will be on rural schools in the Punjab.
This is all you need to know about the Insaf Afternoon Schools Program launched in Punjab. For more