PESHAWAR: The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government has given the green light to two significant education initiatives, the “Sabawoon Schools Initiative” (SSI) and the “Establishment of Middle Community Schools” (MGBECs) program, under the Department of Education. These programs are designed to boost literacy rates in the merged districts.
As per documents from the Merged Areas Education Foundation (MEF), the SSI program will prioritize children residing in areas with limited access to educational facilities. Under this initiative, MEF will collaborate with established educational institutions to open branches in the merged districts and sub-divisions, providing quality education to the local children.
MEF will extend grants to cover initial startup costs, offering a one-time grant of 100,000 rupees for school supplies and teaching materials for students and teachers. Additionally, the foundation will subsidize tuition fees, charging 1,000 rupees for kindergarten students, 1,500 for first to fifth-grade students, and 2,000 for sixth to seventh-grade students.
Partner schools will initially enroll 120 students at primary and middle levels and actively engage local communities to encourage higher enrollment across the merged districts. These programs aim to educate at least 4,000 students and create employment opportunities for 100 local youths.
The Managing Director of MEF, Abdul Karam, has confirmed that 80 million rupees will be allocated this year to support these programs. —APP
