No computer lab at 2,000 Khyber Pakhtunkhwa schools

DAWN.COM

Around 2,000 high and higher secondary government schools in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa have no computer laboratory, said provincial elementary and secondary education secretary Mushtaq Jadoon on Monday.

Mr Jadoon, who was briefing the provincial assembly`s standing committee on E&SE here, also said his department lacked 4,500 computer teachers and 2,000 senior English teachers.

The meeting was attended by committee chairman MPA Mukhtar Ali Khan, assembly speaker Kiramatullah Chagharmatti, E&SE minister Sardar Hussain Babak, MPAs Shah Hussain Khan, Abdul Akbar Khan, Sikandar Khan Sherpao, Anwar Khan, Rashid Khan, Sardar Aurangzeb Nalotha and Munawar Sultana, and assembly secretary Amanullah Khan.

The E&SE secretary told Dawn that around 300 high and higher secondary schools in the province had computer labs. “We are trying to establish more computer labs in schools with the support of donor agencies,” he said.

Mr Jadoon said of late, the planning and development department approved funds for establishing computer labs in 170 schools. He, however, said establishment of computer labs at schools alone won`t work and recruitment of teachers and provision of other facilities there was also needed.

“This requires huge budget,” he said.

Earlier, the secretary told the committee that the government had planned to build four rooms in future primary schools instead of two for better educational environment, according to a spokesman for the provincial assembly.

He said acquiring land for new schools was very difficult in big cities, including Peshawar, Mardan, Abbottabad and Nowshera but to fulfill this need, his department had planned to build two and three storied schools in future.

Until now, the education department has built schools on the land donated by people before providing Class IV job to one named by donors. However, higher prices of real estate, especially in urban areas, have stopped most landowners from offering land for government schools.

An education official asked why should people donate 10-marla land for a Class IV job, while its price ranged from Rs2 to Rs3 million.

Mr Jadoon told the committee that it would be very costly to raise a primary school building at Rs4.5 million after purchasing land at Rs20 million. He said his department was working on different options to establish schools in different areas on need basis.

“We are trying to set up school in rented buildings,” he said, adding that government land was also being found for schools in areas where cost of land was very high.

Speaker Chagharmatti asked the E&SE secretary to ensure early recruitment of computer teachers and provision of solar energy to computer laboratories in government schools.

He said the centre would provide the province with adequate funds for construction of 1,000 primary schools in line with President Zardari`s special directives.