PESHAWAR, Jan 2: As many as 5,500 schools will be opened in the Frontier province under public-private collaboration to enrol 2.6 million out-of-school children of the province.

This was decided at a meeting chaired by the NWFP’s Caretaker Minister for Schools and Literacy, Meraj Humayun Khan, here on Wednesday.

The minister directed that necessary documents should be finalised by Jan 15 so that the project could take off soon. However, the minister did not give completion time of the project.

The meeting decided that the sites would be selected by Executive District Officers (education) of the respective districts and details would be worked out jointly by the Chief Planning Officer (CPO) and MD Elementary Education Foundation (EEF).

These schools will be opened in the rented buildings and no new building would be constructed. The Education Department and EEF will supervise the management, training and financial support to the schools, while the teachers will be recruited from the same locality.

The schools will be run by private sector partners and individuals who are willing to play active role in the promotion of education in the province. Books and stationery will be provided free of cost.

The meeting decided that teachers of private schools will be trained in Provincial Institute of Teacher Education (PITE) and Rural Institute of Teacher Education (RITE) of the province.

The minister announced that literacy centres and public-private partnership schemes will be strengthened more for ensuring 100 per cent literacy rate in the province.

She appealed the officials of education department to come forward and lead the nation by providing energetic and educated men and women to all sectors of life.

The meeting besides others was attended by Secretary Schools and Literacy, Special Secretary Education, MD EEF and CPO Education.