Education plays key role in promotion of tolerance in society: Governor
PESHAWAR, (MILLAT ONLINE):The Governor, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Engineer Iqbal Zafar Jhagra Wednesday said that education plays an important role in creating a prosperous and tolerant society.
The Governor expressed these views while addressing the inaugural ceremony of the prefabricated building of Govt: High School, Hisara, Khyber Agency here.
Beside others, Additional Chief Secretary, FATA, Sikandar Qayyum, Jean – Francois Cautain, European
Union Ambassador to Pakistan, Ignacio Artaza, Country Director, UNDP, Christian Munduate, Deputy Representative UNICEF Pakistan and Masood-ul-Mulk, Chief Executive Officer, SRSP were also present on the occasion.
Jhagra said, “In any society, youth is the real agent of change and the youth bulge of FATA is approximately 60% and to engage them in healthy activities, efforts are already underway”.
He said that a comprehensive package of social cohesion, income generation and education activities had been provided to communities in Khyber, Kurram, Orakzai and North Waziristan agencies.
“More than 100 schools had already been rehabilitated, 408 teachers had been trained to provide better quality education for our children and Taleemi Islahi Jirgas were being formed to advocate for improved services and increased enrolment” he said.
The Governor also pointed out that FATA Secretariat had earmarked Rs. 4 billion this year for the education sector, however, there were still more than 400 institutions in the area that require urgent
rehabilitation and support in teachers training. In addition, he said, the needs and priorities of the Frontier Regions (FR) are also being taken care of in the drafting of our development plans, as they also lack basic facilities.
He said that approximately 200,000 out of school children have been brought back into the regular education system in FATA. Girls’ enrolment and attendance is also our key priority, and the FATA Secretariat remains committed to address the specific needs of the girls’ schools with the aim to improving the basic school infrastructure and ensuring the provision of a safe learning environment
therein.
Later on, the Governor alongwith European Union Ambassador to Pakistan inaugurated the prefabricated building in Govt: High School, Hisara, Khyber Agency and distributed prizes among the students.