'First daughter' Maryam Nawaz was busy tweeting photos of an upgraded government school located in the 'rural suburbs' of the federal capital as part of the Prime Minister's education reforms programme Thursday night.

Punjgran School is the first of 21 schools to be revamped in the first phase of the project which centres around reforming Islamabad's government schools.

Maryam takes us on a 'pictorial journey' through the upgradations.

School furniture was repaired.

The school canteen received a facelift, becoming completely unrecognisable in the 'after' photo.

Classrooms were outfitted with the newly-repaired furniture and painted a cheery bright orange colour, with bulletin boards adorning the walls where previously posters had hung.

"That's called real educational change," one Twitter user commented under close-up photos of the bulletin boards.

The upgraded facility was outfitted with new water filtration and biometric attendance systems.

Maryam was particularly excited about the students' use of the new library facilities.

The school boundary wall was extended and topped with barbed wire for "increased security", she said. "All kids are special to us!"

She posted photos of work under way on the bathrooms.

The school verandas were beautified with colourful murals and pictures of notable personalities...

... And inspirational quotes!

The dirty playground is now "a sight to behold", she says.

Verandas were polished and broken window panes replaced.

A walkway was restored with new tiles. "Be safe, kids!" Maryam lovingly cautioned students.

A multi-purpose hall was beautified and furnished with new-looking chairs.

Computer and science labs were outfitted with new desktops.

"Here is what the upgraded school looks like!"

Maryam Nawaz tweeted a picture of herself with the smiling female students.

Promotional photos retweeted by Maryam Nawaz claim the physical infrastructure upgradation of 422 schools is underway.

IT and science labs and libraries will be improved, while 'expert teacher recruitment' will take place for math, science and english. Schools will also be under electronic surveillance, and a bus service consisting of 200 buses will facilitate pick and drop for students.

Unfortunately, the PML-N's official tweets were riddled with typographical errors.

PM Nawaz's education reforms programme follows just a month after non-profit organisation Alif Ailaan released a 'report card' highlighting the subpar performance of MNAs in bringing demonstrable change to their constituencies during the two-and-a-half years that have elapsed since the 2013 elections.

Only seven out of 326 MNAs received A grades, while 181 received Bs and 138 received Cs. The PML-N had the greatest number of MNAs with B grades (109) and C grades (69) ─ but also has the greatest representation in the NA.

The report claims that even MNAs who received A grades would not send their own children to government schools, which shows that there is scope for improvement in the state of the public school system as well as in the effort that MNAs expend to support better education outcomes.

Opinion

Editorial

Geopolitical games
Updated 18 Dec, 2024

Geopolitical games

While Assad may be gone — and not many are mourning the end of his brutal rule — Syria’s future does not look promising.
Polio’s toll
18 Dec, 2024

Polio’s toll

MONDAY’s attacks on polio workers in Karak and Bannu that martyred Constable Irfanullah and wounded two ...
Development expenditure
18 Dec, 2024

Development expenditure

PAKISTAN’S infrastructure development woes are wide and deep. The country must annually spend at least 10pc of its...
Risky slope
Updated 17 Dec, 2024

Risky slope

Inflation likely to see an upward trajectory once high base effect tapers off.
Digital ID bill
Updated 17 Dec, 2024

Digital ID bill

Without privacy safeguards, a centralised digital ID system could be misused for surveillance.
Dangerous revisionism
Updated 17 Dec, 2024

Dangerous revisionism

When hatemongers call for digging up every mosque to see what lies beneath, there is a darker agenda driving matters.